Manhunt for knifeman who stabbed British and Irish tourists in Barcelona bar brawl
Irishman stable after emergency surgery and Briton also wounded after thug lashes out at tourist hotspot Flaherty’s Irish Pub
POLICE are hunting a knifeman who stabbed two British tourists in a pub in Barcelona.
One of the victims had to have emergency surgery after being knifed twice in the neck at Flaherty’s Irish Pub in the heart of the city just off the famous Ramblas.
He was said to still be in a serious condition last night at Barcelona’s Hospital del Mar following the incident around 11.30pm on Saturday, although his injuries were described as not life-threatening.
The British stab victim was admitted to another city hospital after suffering a knife wound to his back before being released in the early hours of Monday morning.
The attack, described as sudden and “without warning”, resulted in both men being drenched in their own blood.
The weapon used was found abandoned by police in Joaquim Xirau square where Flaherty’s is located.
Police are currently analysing CCTV footage and are said to be hunting a man with a deep scar on his left cheek.
A spokesman for the local Mossos d’Esquadra police force confirmed there had been no arrests.
He said: “We are still investigating an incident that occurred at a pub in Barcelona just before midnight on Saturday night and cannot make any further comment at this stage.
“We have yet to make any arrests.
“We are aware of local reports saying one of the victims was Irish and the other English but are not in a position to comment on this.”
Flaherty’s Irish Pub is part of an Irish-owned chain of bars around Spain which is known as a good meeting point for travellers as well as the occasional local.
Last night one worker was unable to help and said none of the staff who were working Saturday night were currently on duty.
Tourism has become a hot potato in Barcelona in recent years, with residents becoming increasingly concerned that the city is being overrun with holidaymakers in the same way as Venice.
In some areas there have been street protests over unregistered tourist flats and bad behaviour by some visitors.
Mass tourism fuelled by cheap flights to the Catalan capital have been identified as being among the reason for a rise in complaints to police by almost a fifth last year.
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