Watch: Thugs attack St Julian's block, residents say they fear for their lives

Updated 6.30pm with MHRA statement

Residents of a St Julian’s apartment block have told how they feared for their lives when a group of thugs broke into their block and started smashing in doors in the early hours of Monday morning.

CCTV footage of the dramatic events shows a group of youths smashing a glass panel in the front door of the apartment block on Triq Luigi Apap in St Julian’s, before going floor-by-floor, kicking and ramming doors with poles torn from the stair railings.

In one clip, one of the young men screams angrily in Italian at street level for someone in the apartment block to come down, before telling his companions, “I’ll kill him, I’ll cut his head off!” It is unclear who the man was referring to or what, if anything, provoked the attack.

The videos show two men tearing off poles from the stair railings before using them to strike at apartment door entrances, as well as repeatedly kicking doors, breaking through at least one entrance.

One resident said he woke up shortly before 3 am on Monday to sounds of shouting in the block’s communal area.

While first assuming the sound was being made by an intoxicated resident struggling to regain entry to their apartment, it quickly became clear the "aggressive" sounds were of someone trying to break into a residence in the block.

“I’m in shock over what happened; I feared for my life,” said the resident, who asked not to be named. He recalled barricading the entrance to his apartment and grabbing a knife from his kitchen to use in self-defence in case the men tried to break into his apartment.

These two men carried out the attack on the St Julian's apartment block, smashing windows and breaking doors and railings.

Residents explained that the doors broken in the attack led to doors of individual apartments, but that no apartments were accessed.

Another resident recalled a similar experience, telling Times of Malta he was “fast asleep and woke to a loud banging noise”.

“I froze. They were screaming in Italian, and I was holding my door with one hand and a knife in the other,” he said, having also attempted to arm himself for protection.

“These guys were out for blood,” he said, adding that after the incident he was too scared to access his terrace in case one of the young men tried climbing down to balconies from the roof.

These guys were out for blood- A terrified resident

The resident, who also asked not to be named over security concerns, said he divided his time between his native Malta and the US.

“I’ve lived in LA [Los Angeles] for 12 years and never experienced anything like this,” he said.

“They need to be caught.”

The footage shows a young man in jeans and a white vest, and another in a black shirt and black vest carrying out the attack, accompanied by two young women. Times of Malta has chosen to blur the identities of the young women.

One resident called the police at the time of the incident, with officers arriving on site within around 12 minutes. A police report was filed at the St Julian’s police station the following day.

The police said investigations into the incident were ongoing. 

'Zero Tolerance'

In a statement the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) said their should be "zero tolerance" for such incidents.

"Malta proudly welcomes millions of visitors every year, the overwhelming majority of whom respect our country, our people and our laws. They remain most welcome. However, anyone who comes to Malta to behave like a thug, intimidate others or engage in violence has no place in our country".

"If we truly aspire to attract quality tourism, then we must equally demonstrate that respect for our communities and the rule of law is non-negotiable," they said.