Two off-duty Spanish police officers attacked and brutally beaten near Madrid

Two off-duty Spanish National Police members were attacked by at least six people in Alcalá de Henares near Madrid in the early hours of Saturday morning after being recognised as law enforcement officers.

One officer lost three teeth and partial sight in one eye with a possible fractured jaw, while his colleague suffered a broken collarbone and various facial contusions. Both were taken to hospital for treatment.

The two members of the Operational Response Group were returning home after dinner with colleagues when assailants shouted "You're not on duty now, you f***ing rats" while beating them, according to the Federal Union of Police (UFP).

National Police confirmed one alleged perpetrator has been arrested while the search for other attackers continues. Investigators believe that the alleged assailants come from a housing development known as El Lianchi.

The UFP denounced that the agents were attacked "from behind, with cowardice and without the capacity to defend themselves." The union demanded urgent judicial and police measures and lamented that "respect for the principle of authority has been lost in this country."

"We are at their side in the hospital and they will have all the necessary administrative and legal support," the union said.

Group I of Crimes against Persons at Alcalá de Henares police station is investigating the case.