Laurence Dollimore
THIS is the shocking moment a tourist was attacked by two pickpockets in the centre of Barcelona at the weekend.
In video footage shared online, two men can be seen grappling with a pale, blonde man in an alley near Plaza Sant Jaume.
The thieves can be seen using the so-called ‘tecnica mataleon’, which is essentially the Spanish term for a chokehold.
It sees the attacker wrap their arm around their target’s neck and apply enough pressure to reduce the blood flow to the brain, often resulting in the person losing consciousness.
The aggressors seen in the video were arrested on Sunday after the footage was shared widely on social media.
At one moment a group of people walk right by the attack and appear to do nothing to help.
A local told the Olive Press: “It’s an absolute disgrace, it’s almost like this is seen as everyday life in Barcelona.
“They target the most touristic places, people visiting here need to be careful.
“The people walking by were probably scared, a lot of these robbers can have weapons. I hope they at least called the police.”
The Mossos d’Esquadra force did not receive a complaint about the attack, according to local media.
They made their arrests after seeing the video online.
