Italian police tracked down the Brits, aged 19 and 21, in Venice with the use of wiretaps, electronic surveillance, the monitoring of social media profiles and British officers

Two British cousins have been charged with attempted murder over the stabbing of a man in Venice on Valentine's Day.

Italian police confirmed the relatives, aged 19 and 21 but not yet named, had been charged after a 22-year-old local man was knifed in the neck. The alleged attack happened on the evening of February 14 outside a bar in the Italian city's centre. The arrests came after a week-long search.

The victim was rushed to hospital following the incident near La Bussola Cocktail Lar near the Rialto Bridge. Officer believe an argument was sparked by a "trivial disagreements" over a woman. It is claimed he stepped in between the cousins and the woman. The older suspect allegedly pulled out a blade, before he passed it to the teenager.

The younger cousin is said to have taken the weapon from him and stabbed the man as he turned to walk away. Police believe the knife may have then been thrown into the Grand Canal as specialist offers were sent into the water to locate the blade.

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According to local media reports, the confrontation started with a "tense exchange in English." A witness said one of the British men shouted: "She's my girlfriend, I love her. The problem is, unfortunately, she doesn't love me." The Venetian is said to have then told him: "You are in Italy, my home."

Polizia Di Stato said in a statement: "Officers from the Venice Flying Squad, coordinated by the local prosecutor's office, arrested two British nationals, aged 19 and 21. They are believed to be responsible for the attempted murder of a 22-year-old man, which occurred on Valentine's Day in the historic centre."

They added: "According to investigations, the motive appears to be trivial disagreements between young people, which escalated into violence over trivial matters".

Local media said the young woman at the centre of the dispute told investigators she had been in contact via social media with one of the suspects. She said that the man had been messaging for "some time" before arranging to meet, it is claimed.

The police said the two men had been in Italy on holiday since the end of January. After being unable to locate the men following the alleged attack, the cousins were found in an apartment that belonged to an Italian relative of one of them.

Eugenio Masino, the police officer leading the investigation, said that both men were tracked down with the help of British police. He said: “We had two faces, which we needed to identify. We managed to identify them thanks to analysis of social media and cooperation with police in London.”

The eldest suspect is believed to be a UK law student who flew to Venice on January 31

Wiretaps, electronic surveillance and the monitoring of social media profiles were tactics used to hunt down the suspects. A court hearing to confirm the arrests, and they were both remanded in pre-trial custody.

A spokesman for the British embassy in Rome said: “We are providing assistance to two British nationals who have been detained in Italy, and we are in contact with the local authorities.”