Barcelona shaken: Man apprehended after attacking tourists
Recent events in Barcelona have been alarming. An aggressive man was targeting pedestrians in popular tourist areas and has now been apprehended by the police.
4:03 PM EDT, October 8, 2024
Both residents and tourists in Barcelona have been unsettled by reports of the man, who had been approaching people, yelling, threatening, and even physically attacking them.
Incident caught on video
On October 7, a bystander's video went viral on social media, depicting the man confronting a couple with a small child in a stroller in the Montjuïc area. The footage shows a relatively young man shouting aggressively at the child's parents before striking a one-year-old girl in the face with great force, catching her father off guard.
The video then shows the father swiftly picking up the child as he and the woman retreat from the attacker in fear.
The enraged man keeps yelling and initially attempts to follow the terrified couple, ignoring the person recording the incident. He eventually gives up and turns back.
More than one victim
This recorded incident wasn't the man's only aggressive act. Another victim, a 60-year-old man, was also attacked without provocation, sustaining multiple facial injuries and severe bruising.
After a few days, the police successfully apprehended the assailant, a 31-year-old from the Maghreb, a region that includes several North African countries. He faces charges of assault and making threats. The true number of incidents involving his alarming behavior may be greater than initially believed.
Local police reports indicate that all identified victims, including the child, are on the mend. Fortunately, the little girl suffered only minor injuries and did not need hospitalization.