Spanish police probe German policemen after Mallorca assault

Spanish police are seeking four Germans following an alleged attack on a taxi driver on Mallorca, a popular holiday destination for Germans, reported dpa, quoting the Balearic island's Ultima Hora newspaper on Saturday.

Three of the men were from the western German city of Essen and were aged 24, 26 and 27, the newspaper reported, citing a police document that it had gained exclusive access to. There were no details on the fourth.

Police referred a request for information to the prosecutor's office.

The 71-year-old taxi driver told journalists that his attackers had described themselves as German police officers. Police in Essen have confirmed that officers from the city's force were "involved."

Several Essen police officers were on holiday together on Mallorca, dpa has learned. They are all thought to have returned to Germany.

According to the allegations reported in the Spanish media, the men were drunk when they beat up the driver so badly that he had to be hospitalized and then tried to bribe their Spanish colleagues.

According to the German-language Mallorca Magazin, an associated publication of Ultima Hora, the 26-year-old hit the driver after being unable to find his mobile phone. The phone had subsequently been found in the German's bag.

A question on the incident has been raised in the state parliament of North Rhine Westphalia, in which Essen lies.

According to the Mallorca Zeitung, a German-language newspaper, questions have also been raised in the Spanish parliament regarding possible extradition of those accused of the attack.

There were suspicions that the Germans had received preferential treatment because they were police officers, the newspaper reported.