Man stabbed outside Reykjavík nightclub remains unable to work

A family man in his 50s was stabbed in an unprovoked attack outside a Reykjavík nightclub in early July, mbl.is reported. His brother was also struck in the head with a glass, requiring stitches at an emergency department.

The stabbing wound was near the man’s wrist and severed tendons in his hand. He still cannot control his hand or wrist, but hopes to regain movement and sensation within about six months.

The man, who holds a position of responsibility, has been unable to work since the attack. Police confirmed after reviewing video footage that the assault was unprovoked.

He has declined to be identified because he fears the men who attacked him, whom he says were foreigners.

“I am not a fearful man, but I have a family. Fortunately, the police automatically press charges when a weapon has been used in an attack. I would not want to press charges myself in a case like this, because these are the kind of men who come to your home,” he said.

‘Before I knew it, I had been stabbed’

The man said he and his brother, who lives outside the capital area, had decided to meet in central Reykjavík while his brother was in the city.

They were at the Irishman nightclub and standing in the courtyard outside while his brother was vaping. Three men suddenly began arguing with his brother, claiming they had had a table there. His brother did not know what they were talking about and said nothing, the man recalled.

“I came over and saw that something was brewing. I told them, more or less, that we were not going to argue over a table, and added: ‘You can just take the table. I’ll buy you a beer and then everyone will be happy.’ Before I knew it, I was attacked from behind, stabbed and knocked to the ground. A moment later I got up and looked around, and they were gone, having run away,” he said.

He said the attackers were young men and that he had seen police appeals for information about them in the media. He said he had no further information about the investigation.

The man said some people might wonder whether he had been responsible for what happened, because they found it hard to believe that such an attack could be unprovoked.

“But that is not how it was. It is absurd, because this is the last thing I would have imagined happening to me. I am just an ordinary middle-aged family man with children. I am even-tempered and a moderate drinker, and I think fights are extremely stupid,” he said.

‘It is not enough just to be careful’

He said he had been thinking about the incident and the violence involved.

“I have children, and after my conversations with the police, who said that unprovoked attacks like this were not uncommon, I wonder whether it is enough to tell them, as I was told at the time, to be careful. It is not enough just to be careful.”

Guðmundur Páll Jónsson, a police officer with the Reykjavík Metropolitan Police, said two suspects had been arrested in connection with the investigation. Police suspect that the man was stabbed with a piece of glass.