A hunter has shot and killed a troupe of flamenco dancers at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta this evening, in what police are calling a tragic misunderstanding.
The three dancers formed part of the Las Bromas Tontas, a world-renowned flamenco group from Seville in Spain.
The group was midway through a performance at the Manoel when a Maltese man wielding a shotgun, who has been named as 26-year-old Sandro Falzon, burst into the theatre and opened fire multiple times in the direction of the stage, killing all three dancers.
While police initially feared the incident was a terrorist attack, they now believe Falzon’s actions were the result of a communication breakdown.
“The assailant told us his hunting buddy phoned him to tell him he had heard a rumour that a flock of beautiful flamingoes had landed on the stage at the Manoel Theatre. They then drove to Valletta. Falzon entered the theatre while his friend kept watch,” Inspector Clive Bonello told Bis-Serjetà at the scene.
“While he was momentarily confused by the fact his targets were red and not pink, and moved like humans, he assumed they were a rare breed of flamingo and pulled the trigger,” he added.
Falzon and his accomplice have now been released without charge, after their lawyer, Franco Debono, argued that since the pair had intended to kill birds but had failed to do so, they had not committed a crime.
“However, we did deny Falzon’s request to take the dead dancers home so he could stuff them,” Inspector Bonello clarified.
Following the incident, Parliamentary Secretary Clint Camilleri said there would be a crackdown on the illegal hunting of flamenco dancers.
“We cannot allow the actions of these poachers to tarnish the reputation of other poachers,” he said.
“Otherwise, who will vote for me?” he asked.
