Police yesterday shot dead an Arab man who was about to stab an elderly man he was holding hostage on a Luqa rooftop, police said.

Giovanni Camilleri, 72, suffered some knife wounds and was rushed to hospital for an operation, but he was not in critical condition.

The drama started to unfold in Gakkinu Trigance Street at about 7 p.m., when the Arab man turned up at a house and demanded to see his wife, but was not allowed in.

An argument ensued between the Arab man and his wife's father, police said, giving a blow-by-blow account of the incident.

The man then went round the corner, entered another house and climbed onto the roof. He made his way to the rooftop belonging to his wife's family and was seen jumping into an open balcony of the house next door.

From here, he tried to gain access to the family's residence but failed.

Climbing back up, he crossed several rooftops and tried to gain access to a house belonging to Mr Camilleri, whom he proceeded to take hostage.

Meanwhile, mobile squad police had been called to the scene and attempted to calm the man down as he held a knife to Mr Camilleri's throat.

Police said he hit his hostage with the knife and called out to police to stay away, threatening to kill his hostage.

The Arab man then jumped from roof to roof back towards the family's house, dragging Mr Camilleri with him and all the while threatening to kill him.

The police circled the man and tried to persuade him to let go of his innocent hostage.

The Arab man then moved towards the ledge and put a leg over the side wall, apparently about to jump and drag the old man down with him.

As he was about to stab the old man in the back the nearest policeman shot him in a last desperate bid to save Mr Camilleri's life, police said. The Arab man died on the spot.

Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani Grima held an on-site inquiry.