A FOURTH man has been arrested over the stabbing of Barcelona ace Lamine Yamal’s dad.
Mounir Nasraoui was rushed to hospital in a serious condition on Wednesday after being attacked by a group of men just hours after he was reportedly involved in a heated row as he walked his dog.
The dad of the Euro 2024 star was ruthlessly stabbed at around 9pm in Mataró before being taken to Can Ruti hospital with severe injuries.
Three suspects were arrested within hours of the stabbing and have been quizzed by cops over their potential involvement since.
A fourth man was being hunted down by cops today and has finally been detained.
A spokesman for the regional Mossos d’Esquadra police force in Catalonia revealed: “I can confirm a fourth person has been arrested in connection with the stabbing.
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“He was arrested around 11am today. All four people currently in custody following yesterday’s incident are men.”
Newspaper Mundo Deportivo reported that Nasraoui was unable to defend himself when he was attacked by surprise.
Other Spanish outlets have now claimed Nasraoui knew his attackers and that the clash was over a “settling of scores”, say Marca.
Their report points towards the proud footballing dad as having a past which “goes back a long way” with the three men now arrested.
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Hours before the stabbing, footage appeared to show Nasraoui arguing in the street with a group of men at 3.45pm.
The row started after a group of shirtless men yelled and threw water at Nasraoui from a balcony while he was walking his dog in Mataró, reported Relevo.
Police separated the men and took the dad away from the heated situation.
Later that day Nasraoui was assaulted and admitted to an intensive care unit in Barcelona for treatment.
He is said to be recovering well and is due to be transferred to a normal ward in the coming hours.
It is unclear if the men in the footage are the same ones who have been arrested or if they have any relation to Nasraoui’s attackers.
A spokesman for the regional police force said this morning: “The investigation is still open and officers are still trying to establish the level of implication of those detained.
“More arrests may take place later today.
“We’re not in a position to offer any more details at this stage about the arrested men’s ages and nationalities.
“What we can say is that the stabbing occurred at 9.10pm in a car park and the arrests took place a couple of hours later and the three people arrested were in custody by 11pm.”
They added that the circumstances surrounding the stabbing and the row prior is still under investigation and may form an important part of the probe.
Barcelona’s president Joan Laporta was among those who visited his star winger’s dad in hospital.
Nasraoui is renowned for being his son’s number one supporter and was there when the 17-year-old secured the European Championship title this year.
But he has been in trouble with the law before.
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Last year, Nasroui was forced to pay £470 after he assaulted a group and attacked a tent belonging to the right wing party Vox during the election.
Yamal is preparing for Barcelona’s first La Liga match of the season this Saturday against Mestella, with the stabbing reportedly affecting his preparation.
The rise of Lamine Yamal
LAMINE Yamal, 17, was the breakout star of Euros after scoring a wonder goal in the semi final against France.
At just 15, Yamal made his debut for Barcelona in LaLiga – coming off the bench for a lively cameo.
In doing so, he became the Catalan giants’ youngest ever player this century.
He is fiercely proud of his roots – donning the flags of both of those countries on his Adidas F50 boots, the same worn by his idol Lionel Messi, who he has been compared to, and told GQ that the same people who call him the ‘next Messi’ are also likely to criticise him.
Incredibly, Messi and Yamal crossed paths when he was just six months old, after his parents bagged a charity calendar photoshoot with the Argentina and Barca great.
A baby Yamal was lovingly held by the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, just 20 himself at the time, before being given a bath.
Yamal’s mum and dad split when he was a young boy, so he divided his time between two homes – using a train pass to get around.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
