Father arrested three days after alleged attack on children
Salvatore di Prima is found alive, son remains in critical condition
Updated 7.40pm
A 49-year-old man who had been sought by police after an alleged brutal attack on his two children on Saturday night has been arrested.
In a statement, police said Salvatore di Prima, from Catania, was arrested in a "delicate operation" on Tuesday around 7pm in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq.
The arrest was made possible following "days of intensive investigation" involving the Civil Protection Department and armed forces, police said, adding that investigations were ongoing.
Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri confirmed the arrest in a Facebook post soon after.
His 12-year-old son remains in critical condition, while his 10-year-old daughter has been released from hospital, Times of Malta was informed earlier Tuesday.
Di Prima is suspected of taking his children to a site close to the White Rocks complex on Saturday night, where he became violent.
His daughter managed to escape her father's grasp, fled the scene and raised the alarm. Police later found his son suffering from grievous injuries.
Di Prima and his estranged wife had filed mutual harassment reports last month. However, police confirmed these reports were classified as harassment and did not include any previous allegations of child abuse or domestic violence.
Following the attack, the children's mother filed for an urgent protection order.
Salvatore di Prima with his two children. Photo: Facebook.The alleged attack took place at around 10pm on Saturday night, sending ambulances and police vehicles rushing to the scene.
Police searched the abandoned White Rocks complex room by room, and the immediate vicinity, but di Prima remained missing. The search spread beyond the coast road to other locations across Malta later that day, but to no avail.
Di Prima's mobile phone was later found on the rocks in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, containing a message where the man claimed to have "killed" his son and wanted to end his life.
Expressing shock at news of Saturday night's attack, one friend of di Prima told Times of Malta the plasterer had "always spoken lovingly of his kids" and had tattooed their names on his arms.
They said they would have "never expected" di Prima to carry out the alleged crimes.
This is a developing story.