Suspect detained after alleged kidnapping in Barcelona hotel
Police officers found victim gagged and with hands tied in room
The Catalan Mossos d’Esquadra police detained a suspect on Thursday night after a call alerted the officers to a possible kidnapping in Barcelona. The victim was found in a room in the Atrium Palace hotel on Gran Via, in the city center, gagged and with their hands tied.
Police received a warning on Thursday night at around 8:30 pm. The first law enforcement agents that arrived found someone who appeared to be held against their will in one of the hotel rooms.
The Mossos d’Esquadra urged guests to leave the building to conduct an extensive search of the building.
An armed 32-year-old was arrested by the first officers who arrived on the scene.
Early on Friday morning, hotel guests told the press how "surprised" they were to see the police. Officers searched each and every room, even under beds.
"It is better to see a police than a burglar with a gun," Rudy, a Canadian tourist, said.
"They told me there were dangerous people in the hotel and that we had to wait in the room," Dania, a 33-year-old Iraqi, explained. Dania and her friend were getting ready to leave when the police arrived.
"We were really scared and my friend kept crying. One of the police officers spoke English and he calmed us," she added.