Three men, all well known in criminal circles, were arraigned before a magistrate on Tuesday evening and accused of the murder of blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Brothers Alfred Degiorgio (known as Il-fulu) and George Degiorgio (Iċ-Ċiniz) as well as Vince Muscat, (known as il-koħħu), pleaded not guilty to the car bomb murder which shocked the nation on October 16.
The three were among 10 men arrested in dawn raids by the police in various localities on Monday. They were taken to court shortly before 10pm under heavy escort by armed police.
They were also accused of possession of bomb-making material and weapons. It is not known, however, whether somebody else had commissioned the murder.
READ: Data evidence may link Degiorgio brothers to Caruana Galizia's murder
Peter Caruana Galizia, Daphne's husband, sat in the courtroom as the three were brought in, and looked intensely at the men. He was also seen trying to to take a picture of the accused at one point but was stopped by the police.
At the start of proceedings the accused said they needed the assistance of a lawyer. The court appointed a legal aid lawyer to assist for the arraignment only.
The three suspects then...
