Police given names, evidence and footage – yet Sliema’s violent Libyan teen gang left untouched

Despite being handed names, photographs, addresses, video footage and even text messages, the police have so far failed to take decisive action against a small but increasingly violent group of foreign teenagers who have been terrorising Sliema for well over a year.

Parents, residents and business owners have repeatedly raised the alarm over a group of youths, mostly Libyan nationals living with their families in the area, who have turned parts of Sliema – particularly Qui Si Sana and Tigné – into no-go zones after dark.

Yet despite a trail of evidence and a growing number of victims, no meaningful prosecutions have followed.

According to multiple parents who spoke to The Shift on condition of anonymity, police were provided with detailed information about violent assaults carried out by the same individuals, including names and surnames, home addresses, CCTV footage and mobile phone messages exchanged between the youths.

In several cases, their children were left injured, bloodied and hospitalised.

Still, nothing happened.

Instead, parents were told investigations were “ongoing”, while the same teenagers continue to roam the streets unchecked. Over time, the gang’s confidence grew, fuelled by the knowledge that there would be no consequences.

Tigne residents told The Shift that violence has since become routine, and they fear going out at night.

Young boys who happen to cross paths with the group are targeted, beaten and humiliated. Some have ended up in hospital, their injuries narrowly stopping short of permanent disfigurement. Others have been too afraid to come forward at all.

Police, however, insist that reports of such incidents remain low – a claim parents dismiss as disingenuous. Victims, they say, are terrified of retaliation and have lost faith that filing a report will make any difference.

The situation only attracted national attention last week after the teenage son of Nationalist MP Adrian Delia was violently assaulted and left unconscious by the same gang. The boy was hospitalised, and his father publicly demanded action.

Sources confirmed that the perpetrators were identified by police, yet no prosecutions have so far been filed.

Problems in the area – now spreading also to the Junior College area in Msida and to the entrance of Valletta – have been festering for years.

Groups of Libyan teenagers, often accompanied by some Maltese friends, congregate in Tigné and near the Plaza shopping centre on weekends.

Residents describe shouting matches, fights, vandalism and unauthorised entry into apartment blocks, often lasting late into the night.

Police responses, when they happen, are described as temporary and delayed.

Sources described the violent Libyan gang as becoming more aggressive, reportedly harassing passers-by, damaging cars, throwing stones and intimidating other teenagers. Reports were also filed against gang members, asking other youngsters to empty their pockets or get beaten up.