The 32-year-old Tunisian suspect allegedly posed as a hostel worker before targeting tourists staying at the accommodation.
A man has been arrested in Valencia after three British women reported being sexually assaulted in separate incidents at the same hostel.
The suspect, a 32-year-old Tunisian national, allegedly pretended to work at the tourist accommodation before approaching the women, aged 18, 19 and 26. He is understood to have also been staying at the hostel.
The arrest followed an incident at around 1.30am on Tuesday, when two British tourists arrived at the hostel by Uber. According to local reports, the man opened the door for them and led them to believe he was a member of staff.
He then allegedly persuaded the women to follow him towards a bathroom. When they became suspicious and tried to leave, he is accused of grabbing them by the arms to stop them from getting away.
During the struggle, the suspect allegedly groped the older of the two teenagers and attempted to kiss the younger woman while putting his hand under her skirt.
Reports say he then followed the women to the female bathroom, removed his clothes and got into the shower. The two women fled to their room, locked themselves inside and called police.
When officers arrived, a third British woman, aged 26 and understood to be a roommate of the other two, told them she had allegedly been assaulted by the same man two days earlier.
She said she had been brushing her teeth in the women’s bathroom on Sunday morning when the suspect approached her from behind, put his arms around her and pressed himself against her without consent.
Policía Nacional and Valencia Local Police responded to the incident, and the suspect was detained in the early hours of Tuesday. He was taken to the Office for Complaints and Attention to Women, known as ODAM, which deals with cases involving violence and abuse against women.
Investigators are expected to review CCTV footage from the hostel as part of their inquiries.
The hostel where the alleged assaults took place is in Valencia’s Camins al Grau neighbourhood, around a 10-minute drive from the city’s historic centre.
The suspect is expected to appear before an investigating magistrate, who will decide whether he should be released on bail or remanded in custody while the investigation continues.
Police inquiries remain ongoing.
