Romeo Bone, the man with a well-known criminal history who was blown up in his car last month is "recovering well" but is still refusing to speak to investigators, sources have confirmed with The Malta Independent.
At 10.30am on Monday 20 February, Mr Bone was driving a Renault Megane Scenic through Marina Street, Msida, when his car exploded.
Pictures from the scene, as well as eye-witness reports, had confirmed that the man lost both his legs as a result of the explosion. Mr Bone, 40, was immediately taken to hospital for treatment. He was placed in the Intensive Care Unit at Mater Dei Hospital. He has now been removed from ITU but is still under heavy police guard at the same hospital, refusing to speak to the police.
Eye witnesses had said that they heard a loud explosion before the car Mr Bone was driving went up in flames.
Mr Bone is well-known to the police. In 2016, he was cleared of any involvement in the 2007 Portomaso jewellery heist where almost €233,000 worth of jewellery was stolen. The only reason why Mr Bone was prosecuted was due to his finger prints being found on a van parked right in front of a police car at the nearby station, blocking the police car's exit.
He had also previously been cleared of charges of stalking a police officer with the intention of killing the officer, who was an important witness in another case.
Last month's blast had caused major traffic pile-ups, while other cars were also damaged. In addition, a total of five persons were taken to hospital for treatment after being slightly injured in the blast, or due to the shock that they suffered.
People were shocked that the bomb went off in a bustling road at a time when the area is particularly busy in terms of traffic. It must also be pointed out that many students attending the Sixth Form at Msida cross this road during the morning.
This was the second car bomb explosion this year. In January, a 61-year-old man from Ħamrun died after a bomb attached to his car blew up in Marsa. The victim was Victor Calleja, also known as Ic-Chippu.