A man from the UK has been hospitalized in Spain after allegedly being attacked with a screwdriver by a passerby for refusing to give him a cigarette. The victim, identified as Scottish, sustained a punctured lung during the incident that occurred in Plaza de Ayuntamiento in Valencia’s city center early on a Saturday morning. Following the assault, a 45-year-old man, who is reported to have a criminal record, was apprehended at the scene, according to local sources.
Two police officers responded to the situation after hearing a woman’s screams nearby. The woman, a citizen of Uruguay, was with the Scottish man at the time of the assault. She informed the authorities that the attacker asked the man for a cigarette, and upon refusal, proceeded to stab him with a screwdriver.
The suspect, described as having “altered mental faculties” by the newspaper Las Provincias, was taken into custody. The victim was admitted to Doctor Peset University Hospital in Valencia, with his current condition undisclosed.
In a separate incident, a man was stabbed in the neck at Palma Airport in Mallorca in May, with no apparent motive. Spanish authorities reported that the man, in his twenties, was attacked while awaiting his friend at the airport. The assault was unprovoked, as an individual approached him, inquired about his phone, and then suddenly stabbed him in the neck.
A suspect was swiftly arrested within the airport premises after the attack, while the victim received immediate medical attention from a SAMU 061 ambulance. He was stabilized by medical personnel and later transferred to a hospital for specialized care.
A reliable source later disclosed that the attacker claimed to have no recollection of the incident, suggesting a possible retaliation due to his own phone being stolen earlier. The suspect, who was reportedly homeless at Palma Airport, approached the victim, an Argentine resident, without any prior acquaintance, nearly resulting in a fatal outcome.