A 61-year-old Croatian tourist has been remanded in custody after allegedly making a sarcastic remark that his bag contained a bomb during a dispute with Ryanair staff over the size of his hand luggage.

Blazenko Djuran, an unemployed Croatian national visiting Malta, was arraigned under arrest on Friday following an incident involving airline employees at the airport.

The incident occurred while the accused was waiting in a Ryanair boarding queue, when airline staff informed him that his bag did not fit within the airline's permitted baggage dimensions.

A dispute subsequently broke out between the tourist and Ryanair employees over the luggage restrictions.

During the disagreement, the accused allegedly made a sarcastic remark referring to a bomb, saying words to the effect of, "It's not like there's a bomb in it."

Court refuses to accept guilty plea

Upon his arraignment, Djuran initially indicated that he wished to plead guilty to the charges brought against him.

However, when questioned by the court, the accused admitted that he did not fully understand what entering a guilty plea meant, explaining that this was his first experience appearing before a court.

The magistrate expressed concern over whether the accused properly understood the nature of the charges and the consequences of admitting guilt.

"I will not accept a guilty plea from someone who does not know what he is charged with," the magistrate told legal aid lawyer Nadia Fiott, who was representing the accused.

In view of the uncertainty surrounding the accused's understanding of the charges brought against him, the court declined to accept his admission and recorded a plea of not guilty.

Later during the sitting, Djuran attempted to clarify his position, insisting that he now understood the charges against him and wished to accept responsibility.

"I am informed of what I am charged with. I am guilty," he told the court.

Nevertheless, the magistrate maintained that, given the accused's earlier statements indicating that he did not understand the charges, it would be more appropriate to exercise caution and retain the not guilty plea.

The court therefore refused to accept his subsequent admission of guilt.

The defence did not request bail, acknowledging that the accused was a tourist with no established ties to Malta.

As a result, Djuran was remanded in custody pending further criminal proceedings.

Legal aid lawyer Nadia Fiott represented the accused.

Magistrate Abigail Critien presided over the sitting.