FBI agents tell trial SIM card used in Daphne bomb tested months before murder

Updated 6.30pm

Two FBI agents have told a court that the SIM card used to detonate the bomb that killed Daphne Caruana Galizia was tested nine months before the murder.

Special agents William Shute and Richard Fennern, who were involved in cellular analysis of the case, testified that the SIM card was activated three times in 2017.

It was first used on January 10, then on August 21 and finally, at 2.58pm on October 16, triggering the bomb that blew up the journalist's car.

They testified on Thursday in the trial by jury of Ta' Maksar brothers Adrian and Robert Agius, Jamie Vella and George Degiorgio in connection with the murders of Caruana Galizia and lawyer Carmel Chircop.  Of those, Robert Agius and Jamie Vella are facing charges in connection with Caruanta Galizia's murder.

Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered outside her home in Bidnija. Photo: Times of Malta

The FBI agents explained how they became involved in the investigation. They had been asked to help as they were due to come to Malta to give a presentation to local police. They explained they had worked with Vodafone to identify mobile phones servicing Bidnija where the bomb detonated. 

They then focused on cellular activity between 2.50pm and 3pm on the day of the murder. During that 10-minute window, 53 devices were connected to the tower, one of which was not active later during the day. This one had been active briefly on August 21, 2017 and again on January 10, 2017.

At 2.58pm on October 16, 2017, that device received an incoming message from a mobile number ending -4366. The experts explained that after the text message was received, the device immediately disconnected from the cell phone tower.

The text message came from a phone which was possibly out at sea. That message was later decoded as #REL1=ON, which detonated the bomb. 

Who's who in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder case. Graphic: Christian Busuttil/Design Studio

Investigators identified two numbers, one ending in -3752, later identified as the SIM card on the bomb and another ending in -4366, used by hitman George Degiorgio to remotely trigger the bomb while out sea. Both numbers were connected to the same cell site on January 10, 2017 at roughly the same time.

Degiorgio is already serving a prison sentence along with his brother Alfred and Vincent Muscat, a star witness in the trial. 

The agents descibed how a SIM card operates on a cyber network and how they established that the SIM card was inserted into two different hardware devices.  

Records show the -3752 number was topped up via text message at 3.10pm and 3:.11pm on January 10, with a confirmation message received shortly afterward. The -4366 number also requested and received a top-up at 3:14pm the same day.

The  -3752 SIM card was later placed into a second device, which was identified as a command-and-control unit. A number of messages were exchanged between the SIM card and this device.

There were several text messages from the cell phone to the command-and-control device.

The FBI concluded that the SIM card inserted in the bomb was tested in the months before the bomb which killed Caruana Galizia was detonated.

The two devices – the one on the bomb and the one used to detonate – were used again on August 21, 2017. The expert explained that both devices were co-located. From the number ending in -4366 there was an outgoing call in early afternoon. This was followed by a top up and a confirmation text.

The SIM cards were swapped again and the SIM for the number ending -3752 was placed into the command-and-control device while the other SIM card was placed into the mobile phone. There were two texts which the experts said were probably to test the command-and-control device.

Next the experts had to identify mobile phones associated with the two SIM cards. They did so, by looking at data from the cell phone towers facing the sea. They established that a number ending in -8820 received a phone call at around 2:57pm on October 16, 2017. From there, they analysed phone numbers associated with it, and found two additional numbers ending in -8823 and -8824. This showed that the SIM cards were probably bought in bulk.

The number ending in -8824 was connected to a cell tower in Bidnija area and called -8820. The call lasted just over 100 seconds before the bomb detonated.

The experts then walked the jurors through their report which showed how the geolocation data of the three burner phones utilised by the hitmen enabled them to associate it with George and Alfred Degiorgio’s personal phones.

After the FBI finished testifying more police officers took the stand. The testimony of the first police officer was difficult to follow due to the sound of the rain crashing down outside and the poor acoustics in hall 22.

One of the officers confirmed that Vince Muscat, better known as il-Koħħu, had shown them the route allegedly used by the hitmen on the day Chircop was killed, however, it emerged that while this had been filmed the prosecution did not present the footage before the Court of Magistrates, and therefore could not show it during the jury. During his testimony, it also emerged that when Muscat was taken to the garage complex in Birkirkara the officers turned back after seeing several journalists waiting outside.

The officer explained that the Santa Venera garage had been rented out on a fake identity, however, Lolly Pace was paying the rent for it and would go to a Siġġiewi field to pay the landlord. The landlord handed the “rent book” which showed that they paid for the garage to the police. Befpre the landlord took back the garage, he had seen a Citroen Berlingo or a Peugeot Partner parked inside.

The landlord of the Santa Venera flat told the police that the apartment had been rented out to Jamie Vella and a woman.

The trial continues on Friday.

Madam Justice Edwina Grima is presiding over the trial by jury.

Prosecutors Godwin Cini, Danika Vella and Anthony Vella are prosecuting on behalf of the AG Office.

Lawyer Nicholas Mifsud is assisting Adrian Agius. Lawyers Ishmael Psaila and Amadeus Cachia are assisting Jamie Vella. Lawyers Alfred Abela and Rene Darmanin are assisting Robert Agius. Lawyers Noel Bianco and Leslie Cuschieri are assisting George Degiorgio.

Lawyer Vince Galea is assisting the Chircop family. Lawyers Jason Azzopardi and Therese Comodini Cachia are assisting the Caruana Galizia family.