Malta arrests 10 over slain journalist

Authorities in Malta announced on Monday that they had made 10 arrests in connection with the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Galizia, who was known for her dogged pursuit of corrupt politicians, was killed in a car bomb attack on October 16.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, himself a target of Galizia's pen along with his inner circle, said that the military and police had detained the suspects after a weeks-long investigation.

All of the suspects are Maltese nationals, Muscat said. Investigators now have 48 hours to seek charges against them.

Galizia's death prompted a series of demonstrations on the island, with many on the island nation criticizing the ruling class for not doing enough to catch her killers.

EU talks scheduled

A delegation of EU lawmakers who visited Malta on a fact-finding mission on Friday announced that the bloc plans to hold talks with the Maltese government on the rule of law.

"The brutal assassination of ... Galizia was aimed at instilling fear in everyone, especially those involved in investigating and prosecuting cases of money laundering and corruption," said the head of the six-person delegation, MEP Ana Gomes.

The 53-year-old journalist ran a popular blog cataloging her investigations called "Running Commentary." Amongst other scandals, she discovered revelations buried in the Panama Papers that implicated Prime Minister Muscat's minister of tourism, chief of staff and wife in corruption and fraud.

es/ng (dpa, Reuters)