Watch: ‘Hero’ tourist puts ‘pickpocket’ in a chokehold in Spain for ‘trying to steal his camera’

This is the moment a Chinese tourist flipped the script on an alleged pickpocket in Spain.

In a viral video, the man can be seen placing the accused thief in a chokehold on the streets of Barcelona.

The tourist refuses to let go of the would-be robber until the police arrive and arrest him.

He claimed the alleged pickpocket, reported to be of Moroccan origin, had tried to steal his camera.

The suspect is seen with a look of massive relief when the police arrive to release him from the tourist’s clutches.

He was arrested and taken to a nearby police station, reports 20Minutos.

The tourist has since been branded a ‘hero’ online, with commenters praising his swift and firm action.

‘Give this Chinese man Spanish citizenship!’ wrote one, while another said: ‘We should make a monument to this tourist.’

Pickpocketing can be rife in some areas of central Barcelona, particularly in tourist hotspots and on the Metro.