Arrested one of the hooded ones for having beaten up three young people in Inca

PalmaThe Civil Guard has arrested a 24-year-old man for his alleged involvement in the kidnapping, assault, and robbery of three young former foster migrant youths who were sleeping on the street in Inca. Investigators believe the events could be related to a settling of scores linked to drug trafficking and, for the moment, rule out a xenophobic motive.

The detainee was located last Thursday afternoon in a shanty town located in a wooded area of Inca when he was allegedly attempting to set fire to his vehicle, as reported by the Civil Guard Command of the Balearic Islands.

During the operation, the agents also seized one of the vehicles that the suspects had allegedly used. Inside, they found several knives and traces of blood, samples of which have been sent to the laboratory for analysis. They also located several personal items that had been stolen from the victims. The investigation remains open to locate and arrest the rest of the alleged suspects and determine the degree of participation each one had in the events.

Five hooded individuals allegedly put them into the trunks

The assault took place in the early hours of last Friday, when five hooded men allegedly got out of two vehicles and attacked the three young men, all 18 years old and users of a Caritas Mallorca care resource.

The alleged attackers carried sticks and allegedly beat the young men before forcing them into the trunks of the vehicles. They then allegedly took them to an open field, where they assaulted them again and stole their mobile phones, documentation, and other belongings. One of the young men was stabbed in the leg. All three were abandoned without their belongings and without footwear and were located hours later on the highway by a patrol from the Civil Guard Traffic Group.

The young men had to be treated at the Inca District Hospital for injuries of varying severity. Among the injuries were a broken nose, several broken fingers, head wounds that required stitches, and an injury consistent with the use of a bladed weapon. After being discharged, the three young men, accompanied by Caritas staff, filed a complaint with the Civil Guard. The investigation was placed in the hands of the Judicial Police Unit, which began efforts to identify and locate the five alleged attackers.

A possible settling of scores

According to sources close to the case, investigators are mainly working on the hypothesis that the events were a settling of scores related to drug trafficking. This is, for now, the main line of investigation, while the agents rule out that the assault had a xenophobic motive. The Civil Guard will now have to determine what role each of the alleged individuals involved played and what the specific motive for the assault was. The investigation remains open while work continues to identify and arrest the rest of the people who may have participated in the assault.

The three victims had been under the guardianship of the Administration as minors and, upon reaching 18 years of age, found themselves without an adequate residential alternative. At the time of the events, they were sleeping in a public space. They are currently in one of the shelter resources of Caritas Mallorca, where they are receiving support while they recover from their injuries.

The entity has warned that situations like this regularly affect young migrants who have to leave protection centers upon reaching adulthood without having a sufficient family, social, or residential network to face the transition to adult life. Caritas has demanded that the administrations and competent entities strengthen support and accommodation resources for these young people and that alternatives be guaranteed to prevent them from being exposed to situations of extreme vulnerability.