A Spanish thief steals a backpack, spreads quickly and gets caught

• Rob Saltberg

  Spain correspondent

A thief has been arrested on a Barcelona beach who stole a backpack in front of a TV crew. The photos were widely shared online, allowing local police to track down the thief. He was arrested yesterday.

The robbery was filmed on Saturday afternoon by Spanish channel TVE. It can be seen that they are interviewing a visitor on the beach of St. Miquel, who talks at length about the beach and the temperature of the sea water. “The beach is beautiful and clean, and the water is clear,” says the man.

But to the left of the interviewed man, another tourist can also be seen leaving a black backpack behind and walking away for a while. Seconds later, a man approaches from the right and steals the backpack without hesitation.

The tourist quickly returns and wonders aloud where his bag went. A girl with a surfboard reassured him, and realized that the entire event had been filmed. Remarkably, the film crew and the bather interviewed initially continue the conversation as if nothing was happening.

Most burglaries in Spain happen in Barcelona, ​​about 200 robberies a day. Tourists are robbed especially in the world famous Ramblas and on the beaches.