Yesterday afternoon, at 4.30pm, a mailed letter packet was opened at Mount St Joseph retreat house containing a bullet and a threatening note referring to the current appeal being made by the Jesuits against the proposed nearby location of a shooting range complex.

A report was filed immediately at the Mosta Police Station, the Jesuits said in a statement.

The Jesuits are campaigning against the development of a shooting range in the vicinity of their retreat house. The government has said that no decision nhas as yet been taken.

Contacted by The Malta Independent, Jesuit Provincial Fr Patrick Magro said that "this is not something nice. What they are trying to do is trying to stop us from expressing our views on this project. We have nothing against shooters and shooting ranges, but this is not the place where a shooting range should be built."

He added that Mount St Joseph is not Jesuits' house but one that belongs to the whole community, and this can be seen from the enourmous support that has been received against the project.

This threat will not stop us but ngives us more courage to speak up against the project, he said.

"Receiving a bullet is not normal in a civilised country and we are going to continue with the campaign," he said.

The Jesuits are claiming that the shooting range will be a noisy nuisance in an area known for its silence and tranquility. 

It will also create a disturbance to the secondary school at Ta' Zokrija area.

The retreat house, built in 1964, welcomes thousands of people every year.

An online petition against the project has also gathered more than 7,000 signatures.

In a statement, the Nationalist Party expressed solidarity with the Jesuits and said that issues should be resolved through discussion, not such intimidatory tactics.