The prime suspect in the murder of a woman stabbed to death in her apartment 10 years ago is still on the run.

The body of Silvana Muscat, 36, was found on March 12, 2015, in her St Paul’s Bay apartment.

She was stabbed five times – twice in her back and three times in her chest – in a brutal attack police believe happened hours earlier.

Her ex-husband, Eddine G Ibrahim, fled the country on the day of the stabbing and has been on the run since.

Eddine G Ibrahim is on the EU’s most wanted list. Photo: Europol

On the tenth anniversary of the murder, police are no closer to finding the suspect and bringing the woman’s killer to justice.

“The European Arrest Warrant (EAW) and International Arrest Warrant (IAW) issued for Ibrahim remains active,” a police spokesperson told Times of Malta.

“Unfortunately, all foreign inquiries into the whereabouts of the alleged suspect have yielded no results.”

It is one of 74 valid European Arrest Warrants and 61 valid International Arrest Warrants issued by the Maltese judicial authorities, police said.

Ibrahim, a Libyan national whose full name is Nour Eddine G. Ibrahim Hamid, would now be 44 years old.

He left Malta for Italy on March 11, hours before the victim’s body was discovered. He parked his BMW at the airport, purchased a plane ticket to Bergamo and flew out. But reliable sources informed the Maltese police that he was seen in Dublin, Ireland a month later. His whereabouts are unknown since.

Silvana’s relatives made the grim discovery when they went to her apartment in Triq l-Isponoż after a friend contacted them because she was worried.

A friend who spoke to Times of Malta on the day of the murder said: “She was being threatened,” adding she could not believe that her friend – known by the nickname Daisy – had been murdered so brutally.

The victim being taken away from the scene of the crime ten years ago. File photo

Victim had filed report

During a crime conference called after the murder, police confirmed that Silvana had filed three police reports against her estranged husband – from whom she was undergoing separation proceedings.

They were filed in January and February that year. The first report was that of a civil nature, recording Silvana’s separation from her husband due to adultery.

The second, also filed in January, was made after he broke a glass pane and the third was filed after he psychologically harassed and threatened her.

Back then, home affairs Minister Carmelo Abela said police took immediate steps in all three instances. On the third occasion, he was arraigned under arrest.

He admitted the charges and the sentence was delivered on the same day. He was sentenced to six months imprisonment suspended for two years and fined €100. The court also bound the accused with a €1,000 guarantee not to talk to the victim. The police said no further complaints were received following that judgment.

Police investigations revealed that the suspect bought the knife used in the attack just hours before the stabbing. The knife was found by the police in the common area leading to the roof of the apartment block. It was not clear how he had entered the apartment, but police said initial investigations revealed no signs of a break-in.

Changes came later

Silvana’s murder led to an outpouring of anger from the public and organisations, which called for support of victims of domestic violence.

In June 2022, following the rape and murder of Polish student Paulina Dembska, the government introduced the concept of femicide into Maltese law.

Later that year, Bernice Cassar was shot dead by her estranged husband on her way to work. A public inquiry concluded that systemic failures contributed to her death, citing a lack of resources and excessive caseloads in the state system.

The 40-year-old mother of two had repeatedly reported her ex-husband to police and had a protection order in place. In the days leading up to her murder, her lawyer had urged authorities to intervene after the order was breached.

A number of reforms have since taken place and the risk assessment system for domestic violence victims was replaced.

A new report written by Crimemalta Observatory last week showed that crimes related to domestic violence increased by seven per cent in 2024 compared to the previous year. There were 2,225 registered domestic violence cases, which make up 13.4 per cent of all crimes.