Witnesses present at the arrivals terminal in Malaga Airport point to a dispute between taxi drivers and illegal pirate taxi drivers as a possible reason for the attack
National Police officers have arrested five men, aged between 24 and 36, for their alleged involvement in the group assault on a man of Arab origin at Málaga Airport in the early hours of April 21.
According to Police the attack was captured by the mobile phones of several ‘shocked’ passengers in the arrivals terminal.
This was reported by the Provincial Police Station in a statement, stating out that witnesses pointed to a dispute between taxi drivers, on one side, and illegal drivers, on the other, as a possible background to the brawl.
The suspects, most of whom have previous convictions for similar offenses and are linked to a group of radical ideology, have been arrested for their alleged involvement in hate crimes, public disorder, and injuries. All of them were brought before the court on the following Thursday.
The incident occurred around 01:00 on Sunday when a group of nine people assaulted and insulted a citizen with highly abusive and racist comments. According to the investigations, the man was seen offering passenger transport services in his private vehicle without authorisation.
The victim, 41, suffered injuries and multiple contusions as a result of the attack. According to the inquiries, one of the suspects initiated the assault, and eight other people joined in, all of whom, at some point during the assault, punched and kicked the victim whilst also shouting racist comments.
According to several people who were at the scene, the attack ‘blew up’ because of a on-going dispute between taxi drivers and illegal so-called ‘pirate taxi’ drivers.
The Provincial Information Brigade (stationed in Malaga) in collaboration with the National Police Station at Málaga Airport, with the help of statements and CCTV footage, soon began identifying all participants in the assault.
According to these investigations, the suspects are linked to a radical group and have been involved in violent altercations at recent sporting events.
Of the five arrested, four have previous convictions for offenses of the same nature. The investigation remains open to identify and arrest the remaining perpetrators who participated in the assault. The incident has been reported to the Hate Crimes Prosecutor’s Office.
