Two people were found dead in a Marsa stable complex on Sunday morning in what is believed to be a double murder.

At 9.30am, the police were informed about 'a commotion' involving a number of people on Triq it-Tigrija, in Marsa, police spokesperson Brandon Pisani told the media in a briefing at the crime scene an hour later.

Police officers from the mounted unit, whose offices are across the road from the murder scene, were the first on site.

"When they heard the commotion they were one of the first on scene," Pisani said.

He said that two people were found dead in a stable complex: one victim was a 56-year-old woman, while the other was a 73-year-old man. 

They were later identified as Joseph Bartolo, aged 73, and Carmen Abela, aged 56.

Both the victims are Maltese. 

The alleged aggressor is a 34-year-old man from Ghana and has been living in Malta since 2008. The police said that the man resided in another part of the stable complex where the murders took place. The man suffered no injuries, the police added.

 

Pisani said that officers also noticed a person, who is thought to be the alleged aggressor, escaping the scene. Police chased after and arrested the man "within seconds" a corner away from the murder scene.

He was sent for medical treatment to Mater Dei Hospital and was to be interrogated in the following hours, Pisani added.

Pisani said that the police also have what is suspected to be the murder weapon in hand.  He did not elaborate on what type of weapon this is, but a later press release said that the weapon was a pointed one. The weapon used is a pair of scissors, the police said later.

Two other people involved in the argument were also hospitalised after they too were assaulted by the alleged aggressor, the spokesperson said.  They were taken to Mater Dei Hospital for treatment, but only suffered light injuries. They are a Nigerian man and woman who also reside in the complex.

The police said the duo had hesard the commotion and had attempted to stop the alleged aggressor from escaping the scene.

Asked whether the aggressor had any accomplices, Pisani said that investigations are at a very early stage but that the police have arrested just the one suspect in connection to the case.

A number of other witnesses will be spoken to in order to identify the dynamics of this case, Pisani said.

Duty magistrate Kevan Azzopardi is leading an inquiry.