THE victim of a horrific daylight stabbing in an upmarket Barcelona suburb has been identified as a 42-year-old Chinese national who moved to Spain just over a year ago.
The woman, who remains unnamed, had chosen to live in a flat share with female friends in the Finestrelles neighbourhood of Esplugues de Llobregat specifically for its reputation as a highly secure area.
Friends described the victim as a discreet and kind woman, whose short stature led to initial reports that a child had been murdered.
Her parents, who still live in China, are currently rushing to arrange visas so they can travel to Spain to claim their daughter’s body.
The 42-year-old was walking to a restaurant at 11am on Saturday when she was ambushed in broad daylight on Calle Joan Miro, just metres from the Hospital Sant Joan de Deu.
The attacker fled the bloody scene but was arrested hours later after a stand-off on Avenida Diagonal.
Officers pinned the suspect, described as a man of Maghrebi origin, to the ground on outside the RACC headquarters while he was still carrying the murder weapon.
He is due to appear before a judge today, Tuesday.
While neighbours told Spanish news network Telecinco that the suspect had shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ as he attacked his victim, authorities have moved to rule out any jihadist motives.
Catalunya’s Interior Minister Nuria Parlon stated the killer suffered a psychotic break or an ’emotional imbalance’, resulting in a completely random and irrational attack on a stranger.
However, the far-right political party Vox has demanded Parlon resigns, alleging a cover-up by regional authorities.
The brutal killing has left the local expat and Chinese communities distraught, with friends of the victim telling local media they are now too afraid to leave their homes.
Around 300 people gathered outside the local town hall to hold a minute of silence, where Mayor Eduard Sanz appealed for social unity and denied the attacker was a registered resident of the municipality.
Community leaders are scheduled to hold an emergency safety meeting with the mayor on Wednesday.
Click here to read more Barcelona News from The Olive Press.
