The Ibiza Sun front page:
Rampage
San Antonio was at the centre of national headlines last week after a 41-year-old Moroccan man went on the rampage through the heart of the town. Mohamed el Badoui, who has been living on the island for the last 15 years, left the Marino Hostel where he had been staying, at about 12.30 p.m. and headed to the nearby Suma Supermarket, where he proceeded to knife one of the shelf-stackers and a lady cashier before running out on to the street. He then entered the Micaló Hostel, some 50 metres away, where he had stayed previously and owed money, to knife the two proprietors, Antonio Boned and Catalina Palerm. His next victim was a hairdresser working at Donna's hair salon close by, who was on her way to catch a bus. During the next 20 minutes he went on to stab a further six people.
The emergency services were contacted shortly after 12.45 p.m. and quickly realising the severity of the situation, sent all available ambulances to the area. Additionally all members of the Guardia Civil and Local Police were drafted in. By this time el Badoui had made his way down most of Carrer Progrés where he was confronted by the assistant manager of the Suma supermarket, Toni Serra, who was holding a piece of wood for protection; unfortunately he slipped allowing the aggressor to stab him in the stomach area. He was the only person to have been attacked from the front, as all the other victims were knifed from behind.
Fortunately, police officers were soon on the scene and managed to corner el Badoui but not before he had time to inflict injuries to his own neck and ribs before being overcome by officers. Eight people were admitted to Can Misses Hospital, six men and two women, three of which were taken straight to the intensive care unit. One was transferred to a ward the following day, whilst the other two remained in intensive care until Monday. Two remained in hospital under observation for two days, whilst the remaining two were discharged the following day. The aggressor was also admitted to hospital under police supervision, but he was released on Friday morning. The other four victims only received minor stab wounds and were treated in the local out-patients clinic.
el Badoui had run several businesses in San Antonio over the years, all of which had failed. These included the ‘La Joya' Kebab House and a bar in Vara de Rey which had been closed by the police for a lack of appropriate licences and for hygiene reasons. He had also recently split up from his wife and lost his home, which is why he was living in hostels. He is well known to the law and had been arrested on several occasions for drug trafficking and domestic violence.
When he eventually appeared in court on Saturday he explained that he had gone to the Suma supermarket to buy a knife in order to make a sandwich. However, this account has been questioned by eye-witnesses in the store who claimed he entered with the 10-15cm knife, which investigators believe he took from the hostel where he had been staying.
He continued that the cashier had “looked at him in a derogatory mannerâ€, whilst other women in the shop had also stared at him in a disrespectful way and begun laughing. It was at this point, according to el Bodoui, that he lost control and began his knifing spree. The first unfortunate victim was a shelf-stacker in the shop, followed by the cashier. It was at this point that he headed for the Micaló hostel where he had previously stayed. He told the judge that the owner, who remains in hospital and was the most seriously injured, had written insulting comments on the wall of his bedroom whilst he was staying at the premises. However he claimed that by this point he was out of control and unaware of what he was doing. He added that he was a regular user of hashish but that he had not consumed any during the three days previous to the incident. He continued by saying that he was sorry for the attack, and had not meant to hurt anyone, but felt the world, and especially the people of San Antonio, were against him.
Representatives of Moslem organizations throughout the island expressed their concern over el Badoui's inexplicable act, and said they hoped one person's actions did not have any racial repercussions.
He was detained in prison while a date for his trial was set. He will also be sent for psycho-analysis, with the lawyer defending the aggressor already claiming he suffers from a mental disorder.
