Swedish citizen residing in Barcelona still missing five months on

A Swedish citizen residing in Barcelona is still missing five months after he left his home in the early hours of the morning of April 19 without ID and without anyone knowing why.

The whereabouts of Ayad Mirza, a 33-year-old man who had moved to Barcelona on March 2 from Västerås, Sweden, after having found a job in telemarketing, are still unknown.

His family told Catalan News that they have contacted a lawyer in order to "put pressure" on authorities to look for him, after the Catalan police, Mossos d'Esquadra, had no more news of the search, but for the fact that they have issued an international search.

Ayad's sister was in Barcelona in August and his brother lives in Barcelona – they have looked for him in churches, hospitals, funerary homes, taxis, and by asking homeless people, with no success.

The platform SOS Desapareguts has also informed of the situation in its website with pictures, information about the man.

Ayad is 33, has dark skin, is 1.69 meters tall, partly bald, and was wearing a dark blue jacket when last seen.

Left home in the middle of the night

While staying at his brother's place in the Barceloneta neighborhood of Barcelona, he left home without telling his relative, on April 19 at 4 am and without a phone, credit cards, or any ID.

Asked by Catalan News, his brother said he never returned nor does he know the reasons for leaving home – yet, he speculated with the idea that he was tired of the home confinement measures and wanted to go for a short stroll and return shortly afterward.

Soon after Ayad went missing, he said that a homeless person in the Boqueria market area told him that that night, she saw his brother being robbed. He reported these comments to the police, but the woman refused to give him her details so they are not in touch.

Police operation

The police began the search on April 20, when the disappearance was reported in the Ciutat Vella old quarter station, but relatives of Ayad Mirza explained he went missing in the early hours of Sunday, April 19, at around 4 am.

The Mossos d'Esquadra confirmed to ACN they are still looking for Ayad Mirza and shortly after he went missing they overflew Barcelona's coast with a helicopter to see whether he was to be found – he was staying in a flat very close to the sea and there was rough weather that night. Some officers have his picture in order to identify him if they come across him during their patrols, but all efforts have been unsuccessful yet.

As for the Swedish embassy in Spain, Mirza's family explained that they have offered Ayad's brother a flight back to Sweden and told them to wait for news. They have also made posters of the man in Swedish to help the search.vc