Consular visit to the minor Santoiemma in La Valletta

The Ambassador of Italy to Malta, Valentina Setta, today paid a consular visit to the prison where the minor Flavio Santoiemma is being held. He was arrested by the Maltese authorities on 25 May 2026, following a false alarm at his school. The minor is in good health and is being held separately from the other detainees but is not in solitary confinement. An embassy official had previously paid a consular visit to the young man on 26 June.

The case is currently under investigation by the relevant Maltese judicial authorities. On 17 July, a hearing to decide on bail was held at the relevant local Court. Considering the evidence presented by the prosecution, the Court refused to grant bail, upheld the young man's detention at the youth detention centre, and scheduled the next hearing for 19 August.

Following the instruction of Minister Antonio Tajani, the Ambassador has raised the case on several occasions with the local authorities, including by meeting the Director of the prison where the boy is being held; he has attended court hearings as an observer and called for the minor's human rights to be respected. The Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are in constant contact with the boy's parents, to whom they are providing all possible consular assistance.