Spanish deputy PM's bodyguards targeted by man with two knives in horror attack as cops taser and arrest suspect
A man carrying two large knives has been arrested after attacking the Spanish deputy Prime Minister's bodyguards.
Leading politician Yolanda Diaz was unharmed in the horror attack, with reports suggesting that the second deputy of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was not in the area at the time.
The unnamed Spanish attacker, 44, silently approached the two police guards before launching himself at them when they identified themselves as officers.
The man then headbutted one of the guards hard in the face and pulled two knives from his backpack, which he used to threaten him, La Razon reports.
Police reinforcements swiftly arrived and forced the man to flee to another street, with dramatic footage showing him running while carrying a knife.
He is seen pointing the weapon both at police and himself in the clip.
Fearing he could attack someone with the knife, officers are seen pointing their firearms at him as they tried to subdue him.
Eventually, they managed to use a Taser gun to subdue the attacker.
Another officer hit his arm, forcing him to drop the knives, and he was arrested and handcuffed by the officers.
The attack took place near the Ateneo Theatre in Madrid at around 12pm yesterday, according to local news outlets.
Prado Street, where the attack took place, had to be closed to pedestrians as the dramatic events unfolded.
Police sources rule out political or ideological motives for the attack, according to Spanish media.
The man was accused of assaulting a law enforcement officer and was taken by officers to the National Police Station in Centro.
Yolanda Diaz arrived at the scene after the incident, by which time the area was secured, according to Spanish media.
The motive of the attacker is unknown, with reports suggesting he may have been mentally disturbed.
Police sources ruled out political or ideological motives for the attack, according to Spanish news agency EFE.
The sources reportedly claimed that the man attacked the bodyguards as he could have attacked any other person.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Moment heroic bystanders step in to detain 'antisemitic' thug who attacked Rabbi at café in wealthy Paris suburb
Shocking footage has captured the moment heroic bystanders stepped into detain a man who attacked a French Rabbi at a café in a wealthy Paris suburb. Elie Lummel was sitting at a café in the Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine on Friday when he sustained a 'really violent blow to the head' with a chair. 'I found myself on the ground,' he said. 'I immediately felt blood flowing and then I saw people running after this person who had attacked me and I congratulated them. 'I congratulated them because it's wonderful to have people who had the courage to ensure that the person was arrested and really, well done.' Footage posted on X/ Twitter captured the aftermaths of the attack showing three male passersby detaining the suspect and dragging him through the streets of Paris by the scruff of his neck. In a second clip, a police officer is seen arrested the man after removing his striped outer layer. 'As soon as I heard "arrest him, arrest him", I understood that it was an assault,' Mr Lummel said. The suspect was held for questioning at the Neuilly-sur-Seine police station and underwent a psychiatric examination that required his hospitalisation, the prosecutor's office in Nanterre said. According to German-language identity documents found in his possession, the 28-year-old man was born in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. The prosecutor's office in Nanterre confirmed it had opened an investigation into the attack for violence aggravated by the fact that it was committed on religious grounds. 'Yes, well, for me, it's profiling,' Mr Lummel said. 'Here, clearly, it's not a rabbi, it's an identifiable Jew 'Unfortunately, given my beard and my kippah, well, I suspected that was probably why, and it's such a shame.' This is the second time in two weeks that the French Rabbi has been the victim of an assault. Mr Lummel revealed he was also attacked in the town of Deauville in Normandy last week when he was punched in the stomach by an unknown assailant. It comes as five Jewish institutions, including synagogues, a restaurant and the Shoah Memorial, were vandalised with emerald green paint last week. France has seen a marked rise in hate crimes. Last year, police recorded an 11 per cent rise in racist, xenophobic or antireligious crimes, according to official data published in March. It should be noted that the figures did not include a breakdown by attacks on different religions. Addressing the rise in hate crimes, Mr Lummel said: 'Listen, I know someone well the other day who found themselves in a café with someone throwing a Mein Kampf in their face. 'I thought, well, people feel they can, not everyone, thank God. 'There's a vast majority of people who are clear in their minds. Even if they don't share the same opinions, they respect each other. 'The problem here is that some don't share the same opinions; that's their right, but we no longer respect each other. And then, on the other hand, it becomes a real problem.' Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on X that he was disgusted by these 'despicable acts targeting the Jewish community'. Responding to the attack on Mr Lummel, he tweeted: 'I condemn in the strongest terms the anti-Semitic attack that targeted a rabbi in Neuilly today. 'I want to tell our Jewish compatriots that we stand with them. 'The perpetrator, who had no business being in France, must be severely punished and removed.' Mr Retailleau also acknowledged the 'composure and courage' of the heroic men who made the arrest possible. 'Attacking a person because of their faith is shameful,' he added. 'The increase in anti-religious acts requires everyone's mobilisation.' 'This act sickens us,' former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal wrote on X regarding Friday's incident involving Lemmel. 'Thanks to the municipal police officers who were able to immediately arrest the attacker. 'Antisemitism, like all forms of hatred, is a deadly poison for our society. 'We will always fight it,' he added.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Mystery as body found in ‘back of a car' outside Gatwick Airport
A BODY has been found in the back of a car near Gatwick Airport. Police officers were called to an industrial estate on Whittle Way in Northgate, Crawley, at 10.30am on Friday to reports of a body being found. 3 3 3 The identity of the remains is yet to be established, Sussex Police have confirmed. A spokesman said: "Police were called to Whittle Way in Northgate, Crawley, at around 10.30am on Friday, 6 June, to reports of a body found in a vehicle. "Enquiries are ongoing to identify the individual and establish the full circumstances of the situation." Photos show forensic officers at the scene, with police tape having also been erected.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Aussies react to shock arrest video of young Aboriginal woman in tiny town
Aussies have questioned the use of force used by officers during the arrest of a young Aboriginal woman in Western Australia. Officers detained the 25-year-old woman from Millars Well, a town about 540km northeast of Exmouth, after she allegedly breached bail conditions on Monday. Footage of the arrest, shared on Facebook, shows the woman screaming as she is pulled from a car, handcuffed on the ground and carried by two officers to a van. As a crowd gathered outside the home, a female officer was seen gesturing with a can of pepper spray to try and stop them from approaching. Another police vehicle with more officers arrived as the woman was put in the van. At least two male officers could then be seen approaching the group and pushing them away from the police van. Shocked viewers questioned the officers' use of force in the comments. 'I legit got tears. This is very triggering,' one person wrote. 'There was no need for this kind of force,' a second said. 'If they don't know how to work with mob, why don't they talk to the elders in community and get help,' a third commented. 'This town is not far from where I live,' a fourth added. 'This behaviour by police is so unnecessary!' The woman was not injured during the arrest and no medical assistance was required, WA Police told Daily Mail Australia in a statement. The woman was arrested for allegedly breaching her bail conditions by being at a home in Millars Well. 'It will be alleged as the woman was being arrested, she obstructed police, locking herself in a vehicle,' police said in a statement. Officers were called to the home about 10:30am on Monday after an alleged physical altercation between people known to each other. Police had responded to an incident at the same location earlier that day. WA Police declined to comment on the way officers handled the incident. The woman has since been charged with one count each of obstructing public officers, common assault in circumstances of aggravation or racial aggravation and possessing a prohibited drug, methylamphetamine. She appeared in court on Monday and is next due to appear before the Karratha Magistrates Court on July 29. The arrest video came just days after the shocking death of an Indigenous man Kumanjayi White at a supermarket in Alice Springs on May 27. NT Police last week said White 'stopped breathing' after he was restrained by two officers and confirmed the death is being investigated on behalf of the coroner. It is the second death to rock the small Yuendumu community and comes six years after Kumanjayi Walker was shot dead by NT Police officer Zachary Rolfe.
