The Moroccan who stabbed two German tourists in Playa de Palma in the early hours of Monday morning appeared in court on Wednesday afternoon. Because he was shot in the leg by police, it was initially thought that the judge would have to go to Son Espases Hospital and conduct the hearing there. In the end, he was able to be taken to court, the hospital saying that he had made a "surprising" recovery.
The National Police who shot and arrested him on Monday say that he is violent and very dangerous. They suspect that he has been committing robberies but have yet to find evidence.
When he was questioned by police in the hospital, he exercised his right to silence. The police investigation, nevertheless, is all but over. He stabbed one of the Germans close to the heart and the other in the back. Having done so, witnesses have stated, he bragged that he had killed them.
He was convicted in Germany in 2013 for robbery with violence. He later came to Spain and was expelled from the country, but managed to re-enter illegally. Police believe that he has been living in Playa de Palma for a couple of years but with no fixed abode. They have established that he had acquired a reputation for being "trouble".
Lacking proper papers, he claimed that he was from Libya. A check on the fingerprint database established that he was not. The judge at the hearing ordered him to prison. One of two Germans, meanwhile, has been able to leave hospital.