A Libyan man has been arrested and charged in connection with a string of thefts and burglaries which happened over the last few months.

29-year-old Rashid Ramadan Ibrahim Aljabo, a car sprayer from Libya, was arrested in connection with a total of 22 thefts which happened in Valletta, Hamrun, and Qormi over the course of the last few months.

Police said that the man allegedly robbed cars and establishments, from which he stole a substantial amount of objects including money, electronic devices such as mobile phones and tablets, and clothes and other accessories.

The court, presided over by duty magistrate Doreen Clarke, heard of how Aljabo had also allegedly damaged five cars from which he allegedly stole.

The alleged culprit was identified following investigations into a string of thefts from Valletta between March and July this year.  He was identified from CCTV footage, with police saying that he was recognised because he had several previous convictions.

Aljabo however had no fixed address, and had managed to allegedly strike again in Qormi before he could be traced.

Police subsequently tracked him down to a structure in Marsa following a tip-off, where he was arrested on Monday.

Police said that the arrest came after weeks of investigations and collaborative work between the Valletta and Floriana Community Police and Valletta and Qormi District Police.

Aljabo pleaded not guilty. Bail was not requested.

Police Inspectors Gabriel Micallef, Clayton Camilleri and Mark Cremona arraigned.

Lawyers Franco Debono and Francesca Zarb were the man’s defence counsel.