A 40 year old man, resident in Torrevieja, was arrested on Saturday in the town centre after causing panic when he walked through a public thoroughfare wielding a knife.
According to municipal sources, the arrested man was waving the knife around in the surroundings of the Plaza de Oriente, next to the Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which had many passers-by running away.
The man was waving the knife around when a passing national plainclothes policeman, held and managed to disarm him. In the struggle the detainee caused several cuts to the policeman in his arms and his hands, although the wounds are said to be only superficial
According to police sources, the arrested man had recently committed two robberies in two different houses. The first one was empty after which he then went next door where he threatened an elderly couple, holding them at the point of a knife.
After the two robberies he then departed the scene but continued to wave his knife around shouting at passers-by until he was eventually overpowered by the policeman.
Patrols from both the Local Police and the Civil Guard were despatched to the scene.
The security forces quickly denied that that the incident was a terrorist attack after rumours began to surface on whatsapp and social media pages. It seems that the man has a history of mental illness.
