Malta arrest could yield lead in reporter assassination

VALLETTA, Malta (AP) - Maltese authorities say a man arrested in a money-laundering case claims to have information identifying the mastermind behind the car-bomb assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said Tuesday that he signed a letter offering an official pardon to the suspect if evidence emerges leading to the arrest of the mastermind behind the October 2017 assassination.

The suspect, who has not been identified, was arrested last week in a crackdown on money laundering and is being held under police protection.

Three people were arrested in December 2017 on suspicion of carrying out the killing of Caruana Galizia, but the mastermind has yet to be identified.

Caruana Galizia's reporting accused Malta's politicians across the spectrum of corruption and of undermining democratic institutions.