Wounded man in Barcelona street shooting was wanted by Interpol

The case of the Tuesday shooting in downtown Barcelona has taken a new turn.

Catalan police have discovered that one of the two wounded men, who was initially reported as being Belgian, was carrying a fake passport.

The 26-year-old is in fact a Dutch national who is wanted by Interpol, and is currently under arrest.

Organized gangs typically prefer to “pass several other stages before reaching the point of violence”

While all avenues of investigation remain open, the finding supports the police’s main working theory that the attack was a settling of scores.

Some sources familiar with the investigation suggested that the incident may involve a disagreement over drug trafficking. Still, the same sources added that organized gangs typically prefer to “pass several other stages before reaching the point of violence, which, as in this case, puts law enforcement agencies on their trail.”

The incident took place on Tuesday at 3.10pm, when an individual sporting a short-trimmed beard, jeans and a hooded sweatshirt approached two men standing outside the Silken Hotel on Pintor Fortuny street, just a few meters away from La Rambla.

This unknown attacker, whom police are still searching for, opened fire on both men. The Dutchman was hit in the stomach, while the other man, a British national, sustained cuts when he smashed through the hotel’s glass doors in a bid to escape.

Police investigators are analyzing footage from security cameras at Silken and at the nearby Turin hotel for clues about the gunman, who disappeared in the crowd after the attack.