Watch theft in Palma: Escape to Barcelona ends at the airport

Brutal assault in Palma – attacker flees, but is caught

It was one of those evenings when the old town was still full of voices: a couple walks toward Plaza de la Reina, street cafés hum, the lamps glow. Suddenly escalation. A man lunges at the tourist, strikes and snatches his high-end wristwatch. The tourist is left with bruises, his companion shocked. This is how witnesses nearby describe it.

A stupid mistake during the escape

The suspect, according to investigators a 30-year-old Moroccan, grabbed the loot and apparently tried to leave the island immediately. But the man made two mistakes: he left a backpack behind and hid the watch poorly – under his seat on the plane. The backpack contained a mobile phone that the police were able to quickly analyze. Data found helped investigators trace him.

The collaboration between the authorities on Mallorca and colleagues at Barcelona airport was, according to investigators, swift. The colleagues on the mainland waited for the plane to land and were able to arrest the suspect without major incidents. The watch was discovered and seized while searching the seating area.

What else was found

Besides the luxury watch, the officers found several baseball caps and a pepper spray on the arrested man. Apparently the accessories were intended to help conceal his identity or facilitate an escape. The man is now in police custody and will be charged with aggravated robbery with use of violence. The appearance before the magistrate will follow shortly.

For the tourist, the evening ended in shock and pain, but not in total financial loss — the watch is back. Yet the question remains: How safe do Palma's streets feel, when something like this can happen right in the city center? An indirect but successful manhunt shows that police and airport colleagues can work quickly and in a coordinated manner. And that is reassuring in such a situation, even though memories of the blow and the lost evening remain.