Police in Spain are actively searching for a man suspected of fatally attacking an 11-year-old boy on a football pitch in Mocejón, near Toledo, with a sharp object, according to local media reports.
The incident occurred on Sunday morning while the victim was playing with other children, and the assailant, described as a young man around 18 years old and wearing a hood, fled the scene immediately after the attack.
The attack reportedly took place around 10:00 local time (08:00 GMT), and a large-scale manhunt is now underway, with a dozen police patrols and a helicopter involved in the search for the suspect.
Crowds gathered outside the town hall on Sunday afternoon for a minute of silence in memory of the boy.
Mocejón’s mayor, Concepción Cedillo, expressed deep sorrow, stating, “It is a sad day, with a town broken by pain, and if every murder is painful, how much more so the murder of an innocent child who was playing football with his friends this morning.”
The town, which has a population of around 5,000, is expected to declare three days of official mourning.
Milagros Tolon, the Spanish government’s representative in the Castilla-La Mancha region, conveyed her condolences on X, saying, “It is with great sadness that I receive the news of the murder of a minor in #Mocejón (Toledo) after being attacked with a sharp object.
The Civil Guard has deployed a wide-ranging operation to arrest the perpetrator. All my love to the family and friends of the deceased, as well as to the people of Mocejón.”
Emiliano Garcia-Page, President of the Castilla-La Mancha region, expressed his shock at the tragic events and emphasized the need for justice, stating, “These situations are unacceptable and must result in a just punishment.”
Source-BBC
