Two members of the Catalan police force. C. Ribas

Afghanistan’s ambassador to Spain was violently robbed on Sunday night by a group of youths in Barcelona. The incident took place around 9.45pm on Via Laietana street, near the central Metro station Jaume I, in Ciutat Vella, when five young people attacked the diplomat to steal his luxury watch, sources with first-hand knowledge of the events told Spanish news agency EFE.

Since the beginning of the year, 13 people have been violently killed in Barcelona

The ambassador was left with scratches after he fell to the floor, a spokesperson for the Catalan police force, the Mossos d’Esquadra, told EFE. Catalan police are now working to identify the perpetrators of the robbery.

The incident comes just two months after a high-ranking official in the South Korean government died after having been the victim of a violent robbery in Barcelona.

The Catalan police also reported that an elderly tourist was injured on Sunday night in Ciutat Vella, when a thief violently pulled off her chain and threw her to the pavement. According to the radio network, the tourist was 91 years old and needed two stitches in her head and another in her hand.

These latest crimes come just days after a top Barcelona official admitted that the city is experiencing “a security crisis.” Since the beginning of the year, 13 people have been violently killed in Barcelona, according to an EL PAÍS count based on reports from the Catalan police. In all of 2018, there were 10 homicides in the Catalan capital.