Barcelona police detain four suspects in assault of Italian student

Spanish authorities have made a breakthrough in the investigation into the brutal assault of Nicola Maggiotto, a 21-year-old Italian man from Asolo. The attack occurred on the night of August 12 near a club in the Port Forum area of Barcelona.

Barcelona police, the Mossos d’Esquadra, have detained four Spanish nationals believed to be involved in the incident. The suspects were held overnight in security cells at the Juzgados de Instrucción before being released; all four exercised their right to remain silent. Investigators have seized the suspects' mobile phones to gather further evidence.

Authorities have identified six of the eight suspected attackers, including two minors. To confirm involvement, investigators are requesting genetic material from the suspects to compare against biological traces found on Maggiotto’s shirt.

Maggiotto suffered extremely serious injuries and spent nearly a month in a medically induced coma at Hospital del Mar. He returned to Italy on September 8, while Spanish police continue to search for the remaining two unidentified suspects.