Nicola Maggiotto, 21 years old from Asolo (Treviso), is hospitalized in intensive care in Barcelona in a medically induced coma due to brain injuries sustained in an attack that occurred on Wednesday night while leaving a club. A friend who tried to help him was injured but already discharged. The family has filed a complaint and the Spanish authorities are investigating. Geopolitical motive excluded: "The football World Cup was discussed"
A 21-year-old young man from Asolo, in the province of Treviso, Nicola Maggiotto, is hospitalized in intensive care in Barcelona, where he is kept in a medically induced coma after being diagnosed with brain lesions. The boy was the victim of an attack on Wednesday night, after leaving a club, while he was on holiday with eight other peers from the Treviso area. A reliable picture of his condition will only be available in the next few hours. At his side in the hospital are his father Daniele, a lorry driver from Asolo, and his mother, who, thanks to the intervention of the Italian Consulate General, obtained authorization to stay with their son even at night.
The group of Trevisos, all in their twenties or older, had taken part in a pool party at a club called "Sea Sea". As they headed towards a taxi, the boys passed a dozen young people with whom they stopped to talk. Shortly afterwards, for reasons that those present cannot explain, a fight broke out. Maggiotto was apparently hit with a very violent punch on the back of the head and collapsed to the ground, without regaining consciousness. The attackers, about ten people, then fled before the police and emergency services arrived.
One of the friends who was with Nicola reconstructs the moments of the attack. "I didn't intervene immediately to defend Nicola because they were one on one, he knows how to handle himself, and if I had given him a strong hand, all the others would have joined the fight too, more numerous than us", he said. After the punch that made the boy collapse, the witness reacted: "I reacted by challenging the attacker and, as expected, we found five or six people on top of us who were hitting us with kicks and punches, until I too lost consciousness." He also suffered a laceration to his cheekbone, which was treated with a few stitches: after two days in hospital he was discharged and was able to return to Italy. A third Italian rescued Nicola, who however did not regain consciousness. "The police and four ambulances arrived and took us to the hospital," the friend still remembers.
The witness excludes that there were geopolitical issues at the origin of the discussion, such as the relations between Italy, Spain and Morocco or the events in Ceuta. The climate, he explains, was not suitable for such discussions: the boys were leaving a party and had been drinking. Shortly before the brawl, one of the Trevisos was chatting with one of his new acquaintances, commenting on the latest football World Cup. There is not even certainty about the nationality of the attackers, probably Spanish, given that the dialogue took place in English. The motive for the robbery has also been ruled out: nothing was taken from the victims and, the friend assures, there had been no contact with girls in the club.
The father's words restore the family's anticipation. "The doctors say we will have to wait, a nurse asked me if I believe in God", reported Daniele Maggiotto. "Only in the next 24-48 hours will we know whether the traumas reported by Nicola will be resolved without serious consequences." The family filed a complaint and the Spanish authorities have started investigations to reconstruct the circumstances of the attack and identify those responsible.
The Consulate General of Italy in Barcelona has been providing assistance since the first report of the attack, both to Nicola Maggiotto and to his injured friend, who has since recovered. The diplomatic headquarters is in contact with the boy's family and with the hospital where he is hospitalized.
