SHARE
COPY LINK

CRIME

Two teens added to list of arrests over killing of gay man in Spain

Two more suspects, both minors, have been arrested in Spain over the weekend killing of a young gay man that sparked nationwide protests, police said Friday.

Two teens added to list of arrests over killing of gay man in Spain
Photo: Curro de la Torre/AFP

Samuel Luiz, a 24-year-old nursing assistant, was out with friends in the northern city of Coruña in the early hours of Saturday when an argument started outside a nightclub.

His friends told Spanish media that Luiz (pictured below) was making a video call when two passersby accused him of trying to film them on his phone.

When Luiz explained he was talking to a friend by video, he was attacked by one of the passersby, leaving him with a badly bruised face.

Shortly after, the attacker allegedly returned with several others who beat Luiz unconscious. He was taken to hospital where he died from his injuries later on Saturday.

“Two new arrests, two minors of Spanish nationality, linked to the Samuel homicide, bringing to six the number of people detained at this stage,” the national police tweeted on Friday.

READ ALSO:

Is Spain really a tolerant country when it comes to LGBTQ+ people?

Four suspects aged between 20 and 25 — three men and one woman — had been arrested over the death earlier in the week.

None of the suspects knew the victim, police told AFP.

The assailants shouted homophobic slurs while beating Luiz, according to his friends’ version of the events.

Police have not yet deemed it a homophobic attack, a spokesman saying “all hypothesis are open”.

The attack coincided with Pride celebrations in Spain and sparked protests in cities including Madrid and Barcelona on Monday night to demand better protection for gay people.

Demonstrators carried signs with slogans including “what they call you while they kill you matters”.

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the killing, calling it a “savage and merciless act” in a tweet.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

CRIME

Spain and France bust million-euro-a-day money laundering network

Spanish and French police said Friday they had smashed an international money-laundering network capable of handling a million euros per day, arresting five people in Spain, including its leader.

Spain and France bust million-euro-a-day money laundering network

Jointly run by France’s anti-fraud squad and the Spanish police with Europol’s support, the investigation began in February 2021 when French customs agents found more than 500,000 euros hidden in a car in southern France.

Led by a French magistrate, investigators discovered the existence of a “criminal scheme for laundering large quantities of cash across Europe”, which had been operating since at least 2019, a joint statement said.

This network, made up of Chinese nationals living in various European countries, was able to integrate huge sums of cash — more than one million euros ($1.1 million) per day — back into the legitimate economy.

“Their modus operandi was based on the existence of many collection points for money that was mainly coming from trading in counterfeit goods, tax and customs fraud, and pimping” sex workers, it said.

The money was then transferred to the network which then organised its distribution across Europe.

Spanish police arrested five people in Madrid, Valencia, Alicante and Barcelona, including a Chinese businessman who headed the network.

Investigators also searched various premises and homes, and by using sniffer dogs were able to find “almost 160,000 euros in cash hidden behind false ceilings and in portable refrigerators” and in other well-concealed places.

“This international operation… shows the leading role of Asian criminal groups in money laundering activities in Europe,” they said.

SHOW COMMENTS