THIS is the incredible moment a "thief" gets wrestled into a suffocating chokehold by a tourist after he tried to nick his camera.

The suspected robber picked the wrong target - as the brave photographer appeared put the man into submission with ease.

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Extraordinary video footage showed the holidaymaker tightening his grip on the alleged thief - who appears close to passing out.

The pair tussle on the floor in Barcelona, but it is not much of a contest as the tourist is completely dominant.

Shocked onlookers watch on as the helpless man taps out and looks as if he has just endured hell.

The bystanders then applause as a policeman takes over and the heroic tourist gets up.

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The man's body almost seems like a ragdoll as he is thrown against a plant pot by the local enforcement officer.

Barcelona is notorious for its rampant thieves who target unsuspecting tourists.

Last August, Sir Ben Ainslie was robbed at knifepoint for his £17,000 Rolex in the Spanish city.

Ainslie, 47, recalled the horror as a gang mugged him while out for a meal on Saturday night in Barcelona.

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The terrifying attack unfolded when he was leaving a restaurant, as reported by local media La Vanguardia.

And last year, unbelievable footage captured a thief swiping a Brit tourist's phone just as he proposed to his girlfriend in Barcelona.

Footage showed Charlie Bullock surprising his now-fiancée Hannah McNaghten by going down on one knee - but the romantic moment is cut short as a thug is captured nabbing the device.

Charlie propped up his phone on the wall as the two posed for a picture outside Barcelona's famous Arc de Triomf, with Hannah totally unaware of what would happen next.

And in 2022, Barcelona FC star Robert Lewandowski chased a thief who stole his £59,000 watch as he signed autographs.

Before an evening training session, the Poland hitman stopped to greet fans outside the club's Ciutat Esportiva complex.

But one crafty thief used the distraction to open Lewandowski's car door and make off with the high-end time piece.