The gun used to murder Lassane Cisse was found under the bed of Lorin Scicluna, according to evidence presented by the prosecution during the ongoing trial against Scicluna.
Lorin Scicluna and Francesco Fenech murdered Lassane Cisse in a drive-by shooting in Ħal Far in April 2019. Both were members of the Armed Forces of Malta at the time of the shooting. They were subsequently arrested and released on bail in December 2019.
Lorin Scicluna is accused of being the driver, while Francesco Fenech, who is facing separate criminal proceedings is accused of pulling the trigger. The pair were supporters of Norman Lowell, a Maltese far-right political figure, and their actions were driven by racism.
Cisse, an Ivorian national, was shot dead on 6 April 2019 while walking home along Triq tal-Ġebel in Ħal Far. The shooting also left Mohammed Jallow and Ibrahim Bah injured. Scicluna is facing nine charges, including Cisse’s murder and the attempted murder of other migrants in separate incidents.
During the opening submissions, the prosecution described the killing as “racial hatred with a fatal outcome”. Prosecutors told the jury that the alleged murder weapon had been found beneath Scicluna’s bed and that the case would include CCTV footage, ballistic evidence and mobile phone localisation data.
The court also heard that Scicluna initially told police he had lent the car to someone else, before changing his account during questioning. According to the prosecution, Scicluna later placed the blame on Fenech, claiming that his friend had decided to open fire.
Protests have taken place since the killing, demanding justice for Lassane Cisse and highlighting the delays in bringing the case to trial. The case has become a prominent example of the struggle against racism and far-right violence in Malta, particularly because the accused were serving members of the country’s armed forces at the time of the killing.
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