Swedish man missing in Barcelona for two weeks

A 33-year-old Swedish man has been missing in Barcelona for two weeks now, as his family told Catalan News and the Catalan police, Mossos d'Esquadra, confirmed to the Catalan News Agency (ACN). 

The police began the search on April 20, when the disappearance was reported in the Ciutat Vella old quarter station, but relatives of the man, whose name is Ayad Mirza, explained he went missing in the early hours of Sunday, April 19, at around 4am. 

Ayad had been in the Catalan capital since March 2, when we arrived from Sweden to visit his younger brother. Due to the state of alarm and the lockdown imposed in mid-March, he was not able to return to Scandinavia. 

He is 33, has dark skin, is 1.69 meters tall, partly bald and was wearing a dark blue jacket. 

Left home in the middle of the night 

While staying at his brother's place in the Barceloneta neighborhood of Barcelona, he left home without telling his relative, on April 19 at 4am and without phone, credit cards, or any ID. 

Asked by Catalan News, his brother said he never returned nor does he know the reasons for leaving home – yet, he speculated with the idea that we was tired of the home confinement measures and wanted to go for a short stroll and return shortly afterwards. 

His younger brother also explained that the whole family is desperate to see him back and that he has been wandering in a number of neighborhoods in Barcelona center to look for some hints. 

A few days ago, he said, a homeless person in the Boqueria market area told him that that night, she saw his brother being robbed. He reported these comments to the police, but the woman refused to give him her details so they are not in touch. 

Police overflying coast

The Mossos d'Esquadra confirmed to ACN they are still looking for Ayad Mirza and on Monday they overflew Barcelona's coast with a helicopter to see whether he was to be found – he was staying in a flat very close to the sea. Some officers have his picture in order to identify him if they come across him during their lockdown controls, but all efforts have been unsuccessful yet. 

As for the Swedish embassy in Spain, Mirza's family explained that they have offered Ayad's brother a flight back to Sweden and told them to wait for news. They have also made posters of the man in Swedish to help the search.