Two men who were arrested after a brawl in Paceville in the early hours of Tuesday morning, were granted bail upon their arraignment on Wednesday.

Mohammed M. Ali Al Musrati, a 36-year old Libyan shop supervisor and Hussein Oumoueimilan, a 23-year old student from Iran, were allegedly involved in the fight that broke out between groups of foreign nationals at the entertainment hub.

A third suspected aggressor is still on the run and investigations have still not determined the cause of the incident.

During the fight, a sword, still not retrieved, as well as a glass shisha pipe were used as weapons.

The two men were charged with grievously injuring two foreign nationals, actively participating in a fight, assaulting and threatening their alleged victims, breaching the peace and being drunk in public.

They pleaded not guilty.

Prosecuting Inspector Jean Paul Attard explained how police were alerted to the violence on St George’s Road, St Julian’s at around 4:15am.

District police and members of the Rapid Intervention Unit rushed to the scene and a number of persons needed medical assistance.

During the arraignment, three foreign nationals who travelled to Malta to attend a wedding, testified about the incident.

One of them said that one of the alleged aggressors was wearing a black sweater and was wielding a sword with a very long blade.

A request for bail was objected to in view of the fear of tampering with evidence and the fact that one of the suspected aggressors is still wanted.

After hearing submissions, Magistrate Noel Bartolo upheld the request against a personal guarantee of €5,000 each, signing the bail book twice a week and abiding by a curfew between 10pm and 6am.

The case continues.

Inspector Jean Paul Attard prosecuted.

Lawyers Franco Debono and Francesca Zarb were defence counsel.