A man from the UK has been hospitalized in Spain after being attacked with a screwdriver by a passerby when he refused to give a cigarette. The victim, who is Scottish, suffered a punctured lung during the incident at Plaza de Ayuntamiento in Valencia’s city center around 4 am on Saturday. Police identified and apprehended a 45-year-old man with a criminal background at the scene.
The assault occurred while the victim was with a woman from Uruguay, who alerted nearby police officers after hearing her screams. According to the woman, the suspect asked the man for a cigarette, and upon refusal, he stabbed him with a screwdriver.
Described as having “altered mental faculties” by newspaper Las Provincias, the suspect was taken into custody, while the victim was taken to Doctor Peset University Hospital in Valencia for treatment. His current medical condition is undisclosed.
This incident follows a previous stabbing at Palma Airport in Mallorca, where a man in his 20s was attacked without cause while waiting for a friend. The victim was approached by an individual who inquired about his phone, then suddenly stabbed him in the neck without warning. The attacker was swiftly arrested at the airport, and the victim received immediate medical attention before being transferred to a hospital for further treatment.
A reliable source mentioned that the attacker claimed to have no recollection of the event, attributing his actions to a mistaken belief regarding his stolen phone. The victim, an Argentinian resident on the island, had no previous interaction with the attacker, who was reportedly a rough sleeper at the airport.