Two minors remain in custody for attack

According to National Police sources, the victim remains in intensive care in Son Espases where he was being treated for multiple bruising and bronchial spasms suffered when he ingested paint which his attackers doused him with.

The assailants struck just after 4am as the homeless German slept behind the newspaper kiosk in the Plaza de España, the alarm was raised by one of the “indignados” still camped in the square.He also proved crucial in providing the police with descriptions of the suspects.

It appears that while the two teenagers were not members of the 15-M “indignados” movement, they often slept in a tent in the square alongside the protesters but never got involved with the demonstrations.

Policeman hit
The first of the teenagers was arrested at 3pm in Arenal while the second was caught just after 10pm on Tuesday night in calle Olmos, just off the Ramblas.

He was accompanied by another youth who had no connection with the attack but was arrested after hitting one of the policemen as they arrested his friend. He was later released. Three other teenagers were arrested in relation to the attack but none of them had criminal records and they were all released after questioning yesterday morning.

On Tuesday, the central government delegate to the Balearics, Ramon Socias, said that the attack was an act of “Neo-Nazism”, but yesterday, national Police sources denied the accusation, maintaining that it was an act of hooliganism which “got way out of hand”.

That said, the police appear to have been aware of the “conflictive” nature of the two teenagers after a series of problems they have been causing with the “indignados” camped out in the square.

On Tuesday night, the protesters held a meeting at which they unanimously condemned the unprovoked attack.