PN MP Files Police Report Over Online Suicide Threat by Former Officer

· Updated

In brief

  • Nationalist Party MP Mark Anthony Sammut filed a police report after receiving an online comment urging him to take his own life.
  • The abusive message was posted beneath a video on ONE's Facebook page by 60-year-old retired police officer Patrick Attard.
  • Attard is reported to be living in Belarus, while Maltese authorities assess the report and digital evidence.

Nationalist Party member of parliament Mark Anthony Sammut has lodged a formal police report after a retired police officer allegedly encouraged him to end his life in a public social media post.

The abusive remark was left in the comments section beneath a video broadcast on the Facebook page of media station ONE. The commenter told the opposition politician to travel to Hurd's Bank, tie a noose around his neck, and drown himself at sea.

The individual behind the profile was identified as 60-year-old Patrick Attard, a former police officer who previously served in the Malta Police Force. Reports indicate that Attard is currently residing overseas in Belarus.

Sammut publicly condemned the harassment, stressing that such extreme hostility and incitement to suicide cross legal and ethical boundaries. The parliamentarian expressed concern that such rhetoric normalises hatred against public representatives performing their constitutional duties.

Online abuse and threats targeting elected officials have increasingly drawn scrutiny in Malta, where digital communications can be prosecuted under criminal provisions governing harassment, threats, and incitement to violence. Similar cases have previously led to police investigations and court arraignments.

Police authorities have registered the complaint and are expected to examine the digital records submitted with the report. Given that the individual named is based outside the country, any further legal action would depend on cross-border procedures.

The Spin Room

Low media divide. All outlets reported the police report and the background of the social media comment consistently without notable framing differences.

Updates

  • : Updated with reporting from The Malta Independent and NET News on the police report lodged over online threats against Mark Anthony Sammut.

Sources (5)