The police are investigating a noose that was photographed hanging from a traffic sign outside the courts.

The photo was originally uploaded to Facebook by lawyer Gianluca Cappitta on Tuesday, hours before the self-confessed middleman in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder was found with multiple injuries below the kidneys, neck and a wrist.

It went viral when independent candidate Arnold Cassola shared it with the caption: “A Maltese mafia ‘avvertimento’?” hinting at a Mafia style warning to those who turn state evidence. 

On Wednesday, Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà told a press conference about Theuma that he had just been notified of the noose photo and the police were investigating the case.

The police are saying that there were no signs of struggle at Theuma’s Swieqi apartment and that he indicated to the officer who found him in a pool of blood that the injuries were self inflicted.