National Police agents have arrested a twenty-six-year-old man as a suspect in two violent robberies, fraud, and assault after he attacked couples approaching the pedestrian accesses to Santa Bárbara Castle in Alicante using a simulated firearm. The first incident occurred when he threatened a couple with the weapon, demanding their belongings. When one victim realised the weapon was not real, he refused to comply, leading to a violent reaction from the suspect, who struck him in the head with the fake gun. Both victims sustained injuries that required medical attention, with the male victim needing six stitches in his head and three in his elbow.

Following the initial robbery, the assailant made unauthorised purchases using the victims’ bank cards through a contactless payment method, avoiding the need for a PIN. In a similar second incident, two individuals seated on a bench were approached by the same suspect, who again intimidated them with the simulated firearm, stealing mobile phones and cash. The victims attempted to detain him, but he fled with their belongings.

After analysing the reports, police identified the suspect and located him near a second-hand shop in Alicante. Upon his arrest, he was found in possession of the stolen phones from the second incident, which he intended to sell. A subsequent search of his residence led to the recovery of the phone from the first robbery, the victim’s identification document, the fake firearm, clothes worn during the robberies, and additional stolen items.

The detained individual has been placed at the disposal of the Alicante magistrate’s court as a suspected perpetrator of robbery with violence and intimidation, fraud, and assault.