Italian newspaper La Repubblica today reports that the plans to kill journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia started two months before the 16 October assassination.

Citing unnamed sources, the newspaper said that the bomb was placed at 2am in the rented car the journalist was using.

But La Repubblica reports that George Degiorgio realised he had no credit with which to send the sms that triggered the detonation. Degiorgio, who was at the time on a cabin cruiser waiting, used another mobile phone to get a top-up.

It was through the triangulation of electronic data that the investigators were led to the three people who are now accused with the murder.

La Repubblica also reports that just 25 minutes after the murder, another text was sent to George Degiorgio’s wife in which he said “Open a bottle of wine for me, baby”.

Degiorgio is accused, together with his brother Alfred and Vince Muscat, of killing the joiurnalist. The three were arraigned last Monday.

They will now appear in court before Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech next week, when the compilation of evidence against them gets underway. Magistrate Frendo Dimech was selected to lead the case by lot on Wednesday morning.