Irishman killed by police in Malta after allegedly murdering woman

Police said he was shot after he pointed a replica weapon at them.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance.

Johnston was not a soldier with the Irish Defence Forces, who said they have no record of Johnston's military service.

From Dublin originally Johnston had also lived in Malta and Scotland. His ex-wife also lives in Scotland, it is understood.

Ms Ghirxi was stabbed to death in her apartment in Birkirkara.

She had been in a relationship with Johnston but that relationship had ended. Ms Ghirxi had made a number of complaints to police about harassment, mostly via email, by Johnston after their break up.

She told police that she did not feel threatened. But when she believed Mr Johnston had returned to Malta she informed police last Thursday.

Police were alerted when Mr Johnston allegedly entered the Hilton Hotel in St Julian’s and pulled a gun on staff when they told him the bar was closed. He also reportedly told staff there that he had murdered someone.

Police said they found the man on the rocks behind the hotel in St Julian’s. As he was approached by the police, he jumped into the sea and started pointing the weapon at his head.

A statement revealed: "The police officers spoke with the man who was still in the sea and even started negotiating with him in order to surrender the weapon, where the man was identified as a 50-year-old from Ireland.

"During these negotiations, the man told the police that earlier he had killed his ex-partner in Birkirkara and therefore another police team established the address where the victim was probably at."

Police found Ms Ghirxi’s body in her apartment at about 2am. They said she had been stabbed to death, with the weapon possibly used being found near the victim.

In St Julian’s, police said that after about three hours of negotiations, "the man put the gun down from his head and immediately pointed it at the police. The police ordered him to bring down the weapon however the man did not comply and the police were constrained to shoot him".

"The man was immediately given medical assistance on site and then transferred to Mater Dei Hospital, where he was certified dead some time later.

"Preliminary investigations revealed that the weapon the aggressor was pointing at the police was a replica of a firearm.

Johnston had traded stocks online and had established an online profile under the pseudonym Edwardo Sambora preaching about trading, how to make money and be successful in “motivational” videos.

He launched Youtube and Instagram accounts for this business four years ago and had more than 12,000 followers on Instagram.

In one of his videos, he advised followers that discipline and self-control were the cornerstones to success in life.

He had been arrested before, the Irish Times reports. Johnston once claimed he had a bomb in an Italian restaurant in Glasgow, sparking a six-hour siege, with roads and a subway station closed as armed police and the military responded.

He had asked police to shoot him dead before he was arrested.

The defending lawyer, Tony Lenehan, told the court that Johnston had been diagnosed with mild depression and post-traumatic stress disorder after the death of an unborn child, and also due to financial struggles, the Scotsman reports. He was jailed for 28 months.

He had also once wielded a replica gun in Liverpool while drunk and was almost shot by the police, according to court reports.

After today's death, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, who is from Malta, said “Nicolette Ghirxi should be alive today”.

“Instead, Malta must bury another daughter,” she said on Facebook “Our grief must turn into action. Our anger must fuel change. The epidemic of violence against women cannot go on.

“Not one more. Be their voice.”