A 26-year-old man from Serbia was arrested on Wednesday just a few minutes after allegedly committing theft, the police said.

The 26-year-old man allegedly entered an apartment on Pjazza Toni Bajada, Naxxar, with a 42-year-old Dutch man and a 29-year-old French woman inside.

The Serbian man allegedly tied them up and asked for money, while threatening them with a gun, the police said. He also allegedly injured the Dutch man with a knife. After allegedly stealing money and other items, he fled the scene. The Dutch man and the woman were taken to hospital - the man for his injuries which were slight, and the woman as she suffered from shock.

The police searched for the aggressor and saw a man fitting the description. The police approached him and the man seemed to have tried to hide a basket, police said. The police searched the suspect and found a gun and other objects in the basket, the police said. They eventually found the man's car and searched it, inside which a knife and other objects were found. The Serbian man was taken to the police lock-up. A magisterial inquiry are ongoing.