The moment man sets fire beneath workers in Ta' Giorni, before police shooting
Panic-stricken construction workers film the moment the man sets a fire beneath them
A video shows the horrific moment a man deliberately sparked a fire beneath construction workers in Ta' Giorni on Friday morning, minutes before the same man opened fire and injured two police officers.
In the video, filmed by one of the construction workers in the crane basket, the man can be seen throwing what appears to be fuel on the area below the crane, and then igniting a fire.
"Up, pull us up, my friend; he is going to set fire, up, up," the workmen can be heard communicating to the crane driver, urging him to lift them higher as he was about to set the ground on fire.
The moment the fire breaks out, the workers can be heard swearing at the man, as the crane ascends away from the area.
The incident unfolded in Triq Joseph Carbone, close to The Malta Independent’s offices.
According to initial reports, two men, both Maltese nationals, approached the construction site and one of them set fire to material beneath workers who were operating above ground, allegedly amid anger over the ongoing construction works.
One man fled the scene on a motorbike but was later intercepted and arrested. The other remained at the site.
When police officers arrived, the armed man opened fire and injured two officers.
Following a tense hours-long operation, the man has now been arrested.