Barcelona police are searching for a repeat migrant offender whose attempted robbery of a Chinese tourist went viral last week, after the suspect was released by the authorities, only to allegedly be involved in a violent knife attack at a nightclub in the city.
The suspect, a 27-year-old man of North African origin with at least nine prior convictions, was first arrested on April 30 after attempting to steal a professional camera from a Chinese tourist near Barcelona Cathedral.
His plan was foiled when the tourist quickly apprehended the assailant, keeping him in a headlock until the authorities arrived.
Two police officers eventually visited the scene, dragging the thief away and sitting him up by a tree as he got his breath back before taking him into custody.
The Chinese tourist was applauded by several eyewitnesses for his vigilantism.
The incident was captured on video and widely shared on social media, garnering millions of views.
Despite his already considerable rap sheet, the North African suspect was released the day after the arrest. But now, less than a week later, he is wanted again — this time for his alleged role in a brutal gang assault at the Mr. French nightclub in Barcelona’s Eixample district.
According to the Spanish news outlet El Caso, a 54-year-old man filed a complaint with the Mossos d’Esquadra, the Catalan police, stating he was attacked by a gang of six men on Saturday night. He suffered a severe wound to the face from a sharp object, possibly a knife or a broken bottle.
The victim, who is also a foreign national, recognized one of his attackers as the same man featured in the viral video. “He is the man in the Asian’s video,” the victim reportedly told officers.
Police sources believe that a personal conflict may have triggered the altercation, suggesting that the victim and the assailants had prior connections in Barcelona’s criminal underworld.
The Mossos d’Esquadra’s Investigation Unit is leading the inquiry, but no arrests have yet been made.