Man arrested after attacking holidaymaker to steal car keys in Gran Canaria
A man has been arrested in the south of Gran Canaria after allegedly attacking a Norwegian tourist and demanding €50 in exchange for returning the keys to his car, in what the Guardia Civil describes as a case of robbery with violence and intimidation.
The arrest was carried out by officers from the Guardia Civil in Puerto Rico, Mogán, who also confirmed that the suspect was already wanted by the courts. At the time of his detention, he had three active judicial warrants for search, arrest and court appearance issued by different judicial authorities.
The incident happened at around 1:30 am on 20th November in Arguineguín. The victim was sitting in his car when the suspect reportedly got inside the vehicle and asked for a lift. After a short drive, the car stopped near the suspect’s home, where the situation quickly escalated. The man allegedly snatched the keys from the ignition and demanded €50 to hand them back.
When the victim said he had no cash, the suspect is said to have turned violent. As the car owner tried to recover his keys, he was attacked, knocked to the ground and searched. Finding no money, he allegedly stole the victim’s mobile phone and discarded the rest of his belongings.
The attack left the victim with visible injuries, including a blow to the cheekbone and cuts and abrasions to his nose, knees and other parts of his body after being thrown to the ground and dragged across the floor.
Investigators quickly launched an operation to identify the attacker. A key breakthrough came from the suspect’s ability to speak fluent English and Norwegian, which led officers to a known offender in the area with a criminal record and previous links to Norway. This detail, combined with his distinctive behaviour of concealing tattoos, particularly those on his neck, helped narrow the investigation.
Officers reconstructed the suspect’s movements and reviewed CCTV footage from nearby homes and apartment complexes. The victim later formally identified the man as his attacker.
The suspect, who has an extensive criminal history dating back to 2003 for offences including violent crime, theft, threats and coercion, was eventually found and arrested. The Guardia Civil said the arrest was challenging, as the man operated mainly at night, remained hidden during the day and frequently travelled to Norway to evade police attention.
Despite this, officers detained him in less than two weeks. He has now been brought before the investigating court, where he faces charges of robbery with violence and intimidation, as well as answering for the three outstanding judicial warrants against him.
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