A man was struck repeatedly in the head before being thrown down a hillside in his van yesterday in what police believe is the second murder of the year.

Sources named the man as Ismael Ebdou, 29, a Syrian painter and plasterer who has been living on the island for over six years.

Investigators suspect the man's head was bashed against his white van, as splashes of blood were found on the vehicle. He was then bundled into the van and pushed down a rocky hillside in the countryside around Selmun.

Two tourists spotted the van and called the police at about 10.40 a.m.

District police officers went on the scene and the Criminal Investigations Department was roped in when it became apparent that foul play was involved, the police said.

It has been established that the man was a Syrian who was married to a Maltese and had been living in Malta for more than six years. He resided in Hamrun. The van was registered in his name. He was not known to the police.

An autopsy is expected to be held this morning.

Investigators were still on the scene of the crime at 4 p.m. yesterday, scouring the area for clues.

Assistant Commissioner Emanuel Cassar is heading the investigations, assisted by superintendents Pierre Calleja and Antonello Grech and inspectors Paul Bond, Christopher Pullicino and John Charles Ellul.

Anyone with information was asked to call the police on 2122 4001.

In the first murder case this year, 25-year-old Larissa Safranova, a Russian woman, was fished out of the sea in Sliema on March 8. The woman, who had been living in Swieqi, was asphyxiated and thrown into the sea.

Though the police have several leads, the case is still unsolved