Three arrested after violent knife-point attack in Puerto del Rosario

National Police officers have arrested three men, aged 29, 47 and 49, in Puerto del Rosario on suspicion of involvement in a serious incident of violence during the night of 31 August near a military barracks in the island capital.

The operation began after officers received a report of a street brawl involving several people carrying bladed weapons. According to the investigation, a group of four people allegedly attacked a couple in the area.

During the attack, one of the alleged assailants is said to have held the woman by the neck while threatening her with a large knife held against her abdomen, and taking personal belongings.

Meanwhile, several of the attackers, who were also carrying bladed weapons, chased the man who was with her.

The two victims sought safety near the barracks and asked for help from the military personnel on security duty.

One of the attackers continued the pursuit with the knife and lunged at a member of the military who intervened to stop him reaching the victim. The military officer suffered injuries to both arms and one hand in the confrontation. Because of the danger to those present, members of the guard detail fired warning shots, and the alleged attacker was eventually disarmed and restrained.

Several National Police units arrived shortly afterwards, secured the area and initially arrested two of the alleged suspects.

The subsequent investigation, led by Judicial Police officers at the Puerto del Rosario Police Station with support from Citizen Security and Forensic Police, enabled them to reconstruct events and identify the other people allegedly linked to the attack.

Hours later, inquiries led officers to a third man, aged 47, who was located and arrested on suspicion of being a co-perpetrator of the violent robbery.

When he was booked into police custody, officers found a bag among his belongings containing approximately five grams of cocaine and nearly three grams of heroin. The heroin was divided into nine individual doses. This, together with the other evidence gathered, led to the additional allegation of a crime against public health.

The investigation also identified a fourth person, a 25-year-old woman, as an alleged participant in the violent robbery. At the close of the investigation she had yet to be located, and a police alert had been issued to enable her arrest.

Based on statements from victims and witnesses, the items seized and other investigative work, police believe the incident may have stemmed from a settling of scores or a violent demand for repayment of debts linked to local drug trafficking.

Depending on their alleged involvement, the arrested men face suspected offences of robbery with violence and intimidation, attempted homicide, assault on a person in authority and drug trafficking.

Once police inquiries were complete, the three men were brought before the competent judicial authority in Puerto del Rosario, which ordered all three to be held in provisional custody.