The Mossos d'Esquadra arrested a 43-year-old man on Tuesday for an alleged homophobic attack against two men who were walking through the center of Barcelona in February, for which he has been imprisoned, they report in a statement this Saturday.

The man is accused of two crimes of injury and against the exercise of fundamental rights and public freedoms by allegedly attacking the victims because of their sexual orientation, insulting them and punching them "with extreme violence."

The victims suffered injuries such as broken fingers, blows that required stitches and bruises that required subsequent medical treatment, in addition to psychological sequelae.

The man had previous complaints of threats and coercion and exhibited his boxing skills on social networks, with which he attacked the two victims "without them being able to defend themselves."

During the first quarter of this year, the Mossos d'Esquadra have investigated 39 cases related to hate crimes in the field of LGTBIphobia, 9 more than last year, with 51 people arrested or investigated by them, 75% of the which were men.