Female blogger who accused government of corruption dies in car bomb attack

A prominent journalist and blogger in Malta, Daphne Caruana Galizia, who made repeated and detailed corruption allegations against Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s inner circle, was killed by a car bomb today.

The assasination was just a week after Servers hosting Galizia’s website suffered ‘unprecedented’ DDoS attack.


Prime Minister Muscat has condemned the killing, describing it as a “barbaric” act and ordered security services to devote maximum resources to bringing those responsible to justice.

“What happened today is unacceptable on various levels. Today is a black day for our democracy and our freedom of speech,” he told reporters.

Caruana Galizia, 53, died mid-afternoon, close to her home in Bidnija in the north of the island. The force of the blast reduced her car to pieces and catapulted the journalist’s body into a nearby field.

She leaves behind a husband and three sons.

The Prime Minister added: “Everyone knows Ms Caruana Galizia was a harsh critic of mine, both politically and personally, but nobody can justify this barbaric act in any way.  “I will not rest until justice is done.”

In the final entry on her blog, posted within an hour of her death, Caruana Galizia reiterated an allegation that Muscat’s chief of staff, Keith Schembri, was a “crook” who used his government influence to enrich himself.

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