One of three men accused of the murdering journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia is thought to have listened to the explosion live after sending a text message which triggered the car bomb, a court heard.

Brother George and Alfred Degiorgio, together Vince Muscat are accused of murdering the journalist, to which all three have pleaded not guilty.

The compilation of evidence continued yesterday with prosecuting inspectors Kurt Zahra, Keith Arnaud and the victim's husband, Peter Caruana Galizia all taking the witness stand. The minute by minute report of the case can be read here.

Inspector Keith Arnaud told presiding magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit that two "interesting" phone calls came to the attention of the police throughout their investigations.

During Tuesday and Wednesday's compilation of evidence, Arnaud spoke at length about phone data which pointed towards the three men's involvement in the murder. Two particular phone calls were made on the day of the murder, 16 October, one at 2.55pm and another at 2.58pm. The car bomb was found to have been set off at around 3pm.

Arnaud said that the call at 2.55pm, which was made from Bidnija, lasted around 45 seconds and that the second phone call, from the same number at the same location, lasted about 100 seconds.

He described how this made sense with what the victim's son, Matthew Caruana Galizia, had told him about the day in question.  Matthew described how when his mother left the house on that faithful afternoon, she forget her cheque book and had to enter back into the home, and leave again.

Arnaud believes that the 2.55pm call was made to inform the person triggering the bomb that Daphne Caruana Galizia left the house, but she had then been spotted going back into her home. The second call is believed to have been made when she left the home a second time, and from calculations made on the length of time of the call, 100 seconds, and the time it would have taken the slain journalist to get in her car and drive the few metres to where the bomb went off, it is likely that the person triggering the bomb heard the explosion live on the phone.

It emerged in court that the bomb was placed under the seat of the car and not underneath the rented out vehicle.

Arnaud told the court that the three telephone numbers that made police suspicious, because of their registered location in the days preceding the murder and the day of the murder, matched the location and activity of the personal mobile phone of the three accused men.

The prosecuting inspector also told the court that Alfred Degiorgio's phone was tracked to Bidnija on 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 October, while phone data from Vince Muscat shows "practically the same movements".

He also told the court that the three accused's phones were located all together in Bidnija on 9 October, as well as on 13 October in St Paul's Bay.

George Degiorgio had, according to the inspector's testimony, sent a text to his partner minutes after the bomb went off saying: 'Buy me wine, my love'.

Arnaud continued to say that all but one of the three "suspicious" mobile numbers went completely dead after the bomb went off. The third was tracked to Marsa by a cell tower at around 4pm, which links with footage of Alfred Degiorgio's boat Maya returning to the Grand Harbour.

Police who raided a Marsa shed on December 4 found all three accused there. They also found a number of Nokia 105 phones - the same model device data indicates was used to send the text message which triggered the bomb detonator.

Inspector Kurt Zahra mainly testified to describe eye witness accounts on the day and the history behind the use of the rental car.

Peter Caruana Galizia testified to say that his wife never had a fixed schedule, that she enjoyed working in different placed and also enjoyed working into the night.

Legal Aid Martin Fenech is assisting Vince Muscat, lawyers William Cuschieri and Martha Muscat are representing Alfred Degiorgio and legal aid Jusette Sultana is assisting George Degiorgio.

Inspectors Kurt Zahra and Keith Arnaud, together with deputy attorney general Philip Galea Farrugia are prosecuting. Lawyers Therese Comodini Cachia, Jason Azzopardi and Eve Borg Costanzi are parte civile for the family.