British man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after Mallorca stabbing

A British man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following Magaluf stabbing.

The 43-year-old was held yesterday afternoon in a car park near the scene of the crime.

His alleged victim, a 21-year-old from the Czech Republic, was rushed to hospital seriously injured after being knifed in the chest during an early-hours row.

The attack is said to have happened after the pair got into an argument inside a nightspot in the Mallorca resort near the Punta Ballena party strip and continued rowing after being thrown out by bouncers.

The suspect fled the scene following the incident just after 5am on Saturday morning as paramedics and police rushed to the spot where the tourist had been stabbed.

Police obtained a description of the suspect from witnesses and CCTV images showing his face and made the arrest hours later after an officer reportedly recognised the man held as the alleged knifeman.

He remained in custody on Sunday morning ahead of a court appearance as the stab victim was being treated in an intensive care unit at Son Espases Hospital in the Mallorca capital Palma.

It was not immediately clear on Sunday if the unnamed British man was a holidaymaker or lived locally.

The Magaluf incident occurred on the same night another Brit was arrested in Seville in southern Spain over a frenzied knife attack on a taxi driver.

The cabbie was stabbed at least 16 times in the hands, arms, neck and shoulder blade in the assault.

The incident happened around 2am on Saturday morning at an industrial estate.

The man held is understood to have got into the cab and asked the driver to take him to a shopping centre in Seville called Los Arcos before instructing him to take him to the industrial estate where the stabbing occurred.

Local reports said the cabbie declined to take the Brit after becoming suspicious about his intentions and the knifeman reacted by stabbing him repeatedly in an attack “lasting several minutes".

The stabbing was so brutal the knife used reportedly broke. The handle of the weapon was recovered in the taxi and the blade elsewhere where the attacker threw it away.

Confirming the incident a spokesman for a city emergency response coordination centre said: “A taxi driver was injured after being stabbed numerous times early yesterday morning by a passenger he was transporting.

"Despite his injuries, he managed to drive to police headquarters where he was given emergency treatment by a local police officer until the arrival of emergency medical responders.

“Minutes later, local police units located and arrested the alleged perpetrator, who had traces of blood on him and put up strong resistance.

“The National Police are taking charge of the investigation.”

Seville mayor Jose Luis Sanz said on X: “Thanks to our great Local Police for providing crucial assistance to this injured taxi driver, an act that I strongly condemn.

“My support goes to the dear taxi driver, whose professionalism and skill in those moments I applaud.

“A hug, likewise, to all his colleagues in the profession.”

The unnamed Brit is also expected to face an attempted murder charge.

Although he remains in hospital the taxi driver’s life is not understood to be in danger.

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