Laurence Dollimore
A MOROCCAN man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after an American priest was found dead inside a Malaga tourist flat in January.
Father Richard Gross’s body was found inside the ground floor holiday apartment on Calle Viento on January 21.
Police said the 80-year-old had a severe wound to the head and other ‘clear signs of violence’.
The Policia Nacional force reportedly told OKDiario that one man of Moroccan descent has been arrested over the killing, while a further two suspected of being involved remain at large.
According to a forensic report, the priest’s body had serious facial injuries and signs of asphyxiation.
Investigators believe he was the victim of a violent robbery after his suitcase and belongings were found to be missing from the apartment.
Police said at least one of the attackers was caught on CCTV fleeing the scene with Gross’s belongings.
Fingerprints were also found inside the property, which will be checked against those of the suspects.
It comes after locals told the Olive Press last week that they blamed ‘mass tourism’ for the tragedy, claiming criminals are being increasingly attracted to the city to ‘take advantage’ of ‘vulnerable tourists’ staying in the area.
“I think tourism is to blame, 20 years ago when it was all locals living here, you’d check if you heard screams but these days people just assume its holidaymakers returning from the bars,” said a 44-year-old bricklayer whose entire family lives in the neighbourhood.
“Tourists also take less care with their belongings and don’t report when they’ve been robbed which attracts more criminals.
“I’m scared, we need more cameras, more police. But the government won’t say anything because it will scare off tourists.”
All of the locals consulted by the Olive Press believed the crime was a robbery gone wrong carried out by ‘Moroccan’ immigrants.
Franco, who owns nearby Bar Mariscal, said: “My TV was taken a few weeks ago and the police did nothing. There are a lot more immigrants here who don’t have any other way to make money. Violent robberies are also becoming more common. It’s not safe, many of us can’t sleep, we’re at the mercy of God.
“There are robbers targeting tourists because they are vulnerable and won’t go to the police. They wait until the bars close and then they strike.”
The 38-year-old claimed ‘all of Malaga’ is the same, with areas outside the historic centre becoming ‘increasingly dangerous’ due to a lack of police presence and security cameras.
He added: “Once you cross Calle Carreteria (the street which separates the old town from the rest of Malaga), there’s no surveillance.”
Irene, a cleaner at the neighbouring Simba Apartments agrees: “There are a lot of robberies. They take advantage of people on holiday, they come here to hunt.
“They robbed a house down the street and used a wheelbarrow to cart out their loot…they are brazen, shameless.”
While walking around the La Goleta neighbourhood, the anti-tourism sentiment was palpable, with the phrase ‘guiris go home’ emblazoned across doors and walls.
Meanwhile, cooking teacher at Luz y Tierra Laura Aguilar disagreed: “I’ve lived here for eight years and I’ve never had any problems.
“But it is true that there are a lot of tourists and immigrants in this area, and that means you don’t know anyone. Anyone could be a suspect.”
However her father, Pedro Pastor, 94, added: “It is bad here, in Madrid and Barcelona. If you walk down the street in the capital, it’s all foreigners. Immigrants take advantage of that.”
