AN IRISH TOURIST was allegedly stabbed four times in the head and back in an attempted street robbery in Brazil.

The 35-year-old was rushed to hospital after being attacked by two men who mugged him in the early hours of yesterday morning as he headed to a holiday home he was renting with relatives.

Brazilian media published grainy footage overnight showing the victim being stabbed repeatedly as he lay helpless on the ground after the surprise assault, moments after the suspects had been picked up on CCTV cameras in the area.

Despite the severity of the attack the unnamed man is expected to survive and although he remains in hospital, he is said to be “out of danger” according to locals cited by Brazilian media.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs told The Journal that it is aware of the case and “stands ready” to provide consular assistance. As with all consular cases, the department declined to comment on the detail of the individual case.

The mugging occurred around 1am yesterday in an upmarket neighbourhood of Vila Velha, a coastal resort in the south-eastern state of Espírito Santo just over 300 miles north of Rio de Janeiro.

The area where the stabbing happened is called Jockey de Itaparica and lies just south of Itaparica Beach which is popular with kite surfers and body boarders and was described by one recent visitor as an “amazing place”.

Local reports said the victim had travelled to Brazil from Ireland to meet up with family in a neighbouring state before travelling to Vila Velha to spend New Year with his relatives at a rented holiday property.

A resident whose husband alerted the emergency services told Brazilian media: “I thought at first it was a fight between a couple because the victim shouted out the name of a woman I later discovered was his sister.

“He was left covered in blood and local residents helped him. He was stabbed four times, in the back, shoulder and head.”

The phone the muggers tried to steal was left lying on the street following the violent struggle and has now been handed in to the authorities by a Good Samaritan who found it.

Police are investigating the incident as an attempted robbery but so far are not thought to have made any arrests.

A spokesman for Espirito Santo’s Civil Police force said in a statement: “No details are being disclosed at the moment to protect the ongoing investigation.”

The unnamed tourist was taken to hospital in Vitoria, which is Santo Espirito’s capital city.

Additional reporting by Eoghan Dalton