Four of the many Tunisian immigrants that caused a fracas at Lyster Barracks on Thursday were jailed for six months each after admitting to causing extensive damage.

The men, Ajideh Keib, 32, Jalloul Boukathmi, 26, Mohammed Ali, 22, and Hassan Sheir, 23, smashed a hole through a wall, broke toilets, windows, furniture and set mattresses on fire during a protest.

Those that caused the problems were part of a group that arrived on February 1 on a boat carrying 262 migrants, of whom 71 are Tunisian, They allegedly protested because they wanted to leave the island as they expected to land in Italy and were told that they would soon be deported.

All four men admitted to causing more than €1,164 in damage to the building and its contents, slightly injuring Captain Neil Hampton and Lieutenant Christian Zammit Cordina, threatening the officers and breaching the public peace.

Defence lawyer Mark Busuttil asked Magistrate Antonio Mizzi to take into consideration the fact that the men were first-time offenders.

Police Inspector Mario Haber rebutted this saying that the men had caused extensive damage to the building. He asked the court to consider the seriousness of the crime and added that soldiers could only identify the four men out of the many that were taking part in the protest.

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