A 23-year-old man was seriously injured in a stabbing at a five-star hotel in central Barcelona, prompting a manhunt for three suspects who fled the scene.
The victim, believed to be from Eastern Europe, was stabbed in the neck following an argument with the three men inside the Casa Fuster Hotel on Paseo de Gracia, one of Barcelona's most important shopping and business avenues. The incident occurred just after 5.30pm on Monday.
Suspects fled before police arrived
Witnesses called emergency services, and police raced to the scene, but the suspects had already escaped by the time officers arrived. No arrests have yet been made, and detectives are reviewing CCTV footage from the hotel and other cameras in the area for clues.
The man is said to be in a 'serious' condition in hospital but not in immediate danger. Police have not yet made any official comment about the stabbing.
Recent kidnapping near Barcelona
The stabbing comes ten days after five masked men posing as police officers were filmed kidnapping a semi-naked victim on a motorway near Barcelona in front of motorists. The abductors brought traffic on the busy AP-7 motorway along Spain's Mediterranean coast to a standstill before dragging the man out of a vehicle by his feet and bundling him into a car behind.
The men wore balaclavas and police hi-vis jackets, and had placed a fake police siren on top of one of the cars used to box in their target. Police later confirmed the man had been found elsewhere and had not suffered serious injuries, but said they were still hunting his abductors.
