A GANG of youths have filmed themselves chatting to strangers on the streets of Barcelona’s upmarket Eixample district before suddenly slapping them in a string of unprovoked attacks.
Footage spreading online this week shows several young men striking up conversation with strangers on the street, then suddenly attacking them while the rest of the group piles in.
Eixample, the grid-planned district that runs from the Sagrada Familia down to the exclusive Passeig de Gracia shopping strip, is one of the most recognisable and heavily-visited parts of central Barcelona.
Mossos d’Esquadra, Catalunya’s regional police force, has confirmed its Eixample investigation unit has taken over the case.
Those seen in the footage are understood to be Spanish nationals, most of them from Granollers and Cardedeu, two commuter towns around 30km north of Barcelona.
Separate reports put the group’s age at between 19 and 20, and say the attacks took place over the weekend of July 4 and 5.
One victim has come forward and filed a formal complaint with police. Officers are still working to identify the rest of the alleged attackers.
Mossos has appealed publicly for anyone else targeted in the footage to contact the force through its official channels, saying it wants to offer support and log further complaints.
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Social media users raced to identify the group independently, putting names to nearly everyone visible in the clip within days of it spreading online.
One young man named turned himself in to Mossos officers in Granollers, only to be redirected to Barcelona once it was established the attacks happened there.
At least one named suspect has had his home targeted with thrown stones and abusive phone calls, though no serious damage has been reported.
Investigators have not established a motive, and it remains unclear whether the attackers knew any of the people they targeted.
The rest of the gang have not come forward.
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