The police have arrested two people, three days after the dismembered body parts of a man were found in a suitcase floating at sea off the Sliema Ferries promenade.

In a statement, the police said that "intensive investigations led to the police arresting a 43-year-old Colombian man in Msida on Thursday morning." The police also said that a 39-year-old Portuguese man who was found at the place where the 43-year-old resides was also arrested.

The police also gave some details about the autopsy that was carried out on the victim, saying that 100 capsules of what the police suspect to be cocaine was found in the victim's stomach.

The identity of the victim is yet to be established, the police said.

Police investigations are ongoing, and Magistrate Ian Farrugia is leading an inquiry.

It was previously reported in the media that the dismemberment was committed probably through the use of an axe. Both the axe and the suitcase used are both thought to have been purchased from an outlet in Naxxar.

TVM reported that the victim died from suffocation.

It also reported that the victim died less than 12 hours before he was dismembered and placed in a suitcase and being thrown into the sea.

The body was lifted out of the water on Monday, 9 December, and had not yet decomposed when it was found. The suitcase was found last Monday floating off the Sliema Ferries promenade.