A violent episode has deeply unsettled residents of Elche, in the province of Alicante (Valencia region), during the Christmas period.
The incident occurred on 22 December at a luxury villa in the Pinet area, where two individuals who were allegedly squatting in the property are accused of beating two people to death and seriously injuring a third who had attempted to stop them from entering the house.
According to local reports, the victims had been sent by the German owner of the villa to prevent the suspects from occupying the property, something the latter had allegedly done on previous occasions.
Following the attack, the two suspects – Polish nationals with prior police records in Spain – barricaded themselves inside the house. After prolonged negotiations, officers from the Guardia Civil eventually arrested them, bringing an end to a tense standoff that lasted nearly 20 hours.
The operation involved a significant police deployment after two bodies were discovered in the street and another person was found seriously injured, according to TodoAlicante.
The incident came to light late in the afternoon on the day of the Christmas lottery draw, when a neighbour contacted the authorities after witnessing several people dragging two bodies along a street in the Elche district.
When the first Local Police patrol arrived, officers found three German nationals on the ground: two dead and a third with severe injuries. Sources close to the investigation said the neighbour told police she feared for her own safety, believing the alleged attackers might target her next.
Spanish media have described the suspects as okupas – people illegally occupying the property.
According to El Español, the Polish squatters in Elche had already been ‘detained three other times’. They reported that they have now been arrested for ‘allegedly killing the builders who were going to fix up the chalet’ ahead of the owner arriving to spend Christmas there with his family.
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Doble crimen en Elche: las víctimas conocían al dueño de la casa y fueron asesinados por los okupas cuando acudieron a echarles
— Informativos Telecinco (@informativost5) December 23, 2025
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