A man identified through CCTV footages linking him to a series of car thefts last month was remanded in custody on Wednesday after pleading not guilty, saying that he “did not recall clearly”.

Abdulhamid Saied, a 42-year-old Libyan national having no current fixed address in Malta, was targeted by a search and arrest warrant after weeks of police investigations sparked by a number of reports about a spate of car thefts in the Ħamrun, Marsa and Pietà area.

Inspector Mark Cremona explained how community police set about working on two particular reports filed by the owners of a Ford vehicle and a Nissan model, claiming that they had been robbed of their personal belongings.

CCTV footages were collected from the area of the suspected thefts, leading investigators to point out three suspects, one of whom was subsequently identified as the accused.

He was wearing a cap which was later also seized by police, Cremona explained.

On Tuesday, the suspect was spotted at Marsa.

He was arrested and taken to the police headquarters for questioning.

He chose not to answer police questions and was escorted to court on Wednesday, facing charges for allegedly stealing a set of AirPods, cash and other personal items from the parked vehicles between August 30 and 31.

He was also charged with trespassing, relapsing as well as leading an idle and vagrant life. 

Assisted by an Arab-speaking interpreter and a legal aid lawyer, the accused supplied his personal details, including details of his parents.

But he said that he had not seen his father and mother for years and had no idea if they were dead or alive. 

The man pleaded not guilty, saying that he did not “recall clearly”.

In view of the circumstances of the case, the defence lawyer did not request bail at arraignment stage and the court, presided over by Magistrate Victor George Axiak, remanded him in custody.

Inspectors Andy Rotin and Mark Cremona prosecuted. Lawyer Victor Bugeja was defence counsel.