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Suspect in Malta journalist murder pleads guilty

Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb in 2017
Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb in 2017

One of three men accused of carrying out the 2017 assassination of Maltese anti-corruption journalist and blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia has pleaded guilty in court.

Vincent Muscat was arrested in December 2017 with two others over the case that rocked the island nation.

It set off a chain of events that led to the resignation of Joseph Muscat (no relation) as prime minister.

Vincent Muscat and brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio were all accused of procuring, planting and detonating the bomb that killed the journalist on October 16, 2017.

In a pre-trial hearing, Muscat's lawyer Marc Sant informed the court that his client wanted to register an admission.

When asked how he wanted to plead, Muscat replied: "Guilty."

Judge Edwina Grima told the lawyer: "These are grave accusations. Murder, conspiracy... he (Muscat) possibly faces a life term."

But Muscat repeated that he pleaded guilty.