Founder of Blocus and nine other young people arrested for organising looting during Halloween
The Guardia Civil has arrested the self-proclaimed promoter of a social media movement in Picanya that planned coordinated disturbances in several Spanish cities for 31 October.
Operation against Blocus: ten arrests in 48 hours
Spanish security forces have arrested ten young people, one of them a minor, for their connection to Blocus, a social media movement that was calling for looting and violence in shops in several cities coinciding with Halloween. According to El País, the Guardia Civil arrested on Friday in Picanya (Valencia) the alleged founder of the group, a 20-year-old man who proclaimed himself the promoter of the movement.
Among the other nine arrested are minors detained in Alfafar (Valencia), Bilbao, Sant Sadurní d'Anoia (Barcelona), Barcelona city, Málaga and Tenerife. Two additional arrests were made on Wednesday and Thursday in Valencia and Lleida. The total of ten arrests occurred within a 48-hour period prior to the mobilisation announced for 31 October.
Coordination via Telegram and social media
The alleged founder is being investigated by the Guardia Civil for "the creation and administration of Telegram groups from which these actions were coordinated". The actions could constitute offences of aggravated public disorder and criminal organisation. The recruitment of participants began with videos on TikTok and posters generated with artificial intelligence that included QR codes. These linked to WhatsApp groups, Telegram and subsequent private channels.
The organisers asked for the links to be shared in class groups and school spaces, making it easier for minors to receive the convocations. The messages indicated that people should arrive with backpacks, school materials and placards to simulate a student protest, but they also included instructions to wear black clothing and masks to hamper identification.
Specific plan for 31 October
The strategy for Halloween consisted of participants gathering at a general point. Subsequently, via a private chat, they would be told which establishments lacked police presence so that looting could be directed in real time. In the conversations, the organisers identified jewellery shops, luxury shops and department stores as targets. Some participants also proposed setting fire to shops and Barcelona City Hall.
The messages indicating people should arrive in dark clothing and masks, according to investigators, revealed that the protest was being used as a cover for previously planned violent actions. Measures were also detected to delete conversations and move communications to more closed channels.
Background: disturbances in Barcelona
The investigation links the alleged founder to the disturbances of 24 October in Barcelona, in which around 500 people participated. Those clashes resulted in looting in numerous shops, fires and several arrests, many of minors, according to records of the actions. The Mossos d'Esquadra arrested two young people at that time who were connected to the organisation of those acts of vandalism via Blocus channels: a 17-year-old adolescent in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia and an 18-year-old young man in Barcelona.
Details of other arrests
The young man arrested in Alfafar actively participated in instant messaging app groups in which looting and acts of theft were encouraged. In particular, he encouraged the use of "Molotov cocktails" to create chaos and keep the Forces and Corps of Security distracted whilst looting was taking place. This arrested person was connected with another minor arrested in Valencia the previous Wednesday.
National Police arrested the administrator of an account linked to Blocus in Bilbao from which calls were made to provoke incidents. The account disseminated calls to provoke disturbances in Bilbao city centre on 31 October, identifying specific shops.
Monitoring of investigations
The Guardia Civil used monitoring of open sources and messaging channels to connect the alleged founder with several Telegram groups, some of which were replaced after being closed. Investigators detected preparations for new convocations in the following weeks in Barcelona and other Spanish cities. The operation was carried out by the Information Directorate and the Information Sections of the Catalonia and Valencian Community zones of the Guardia Civil.
The Mossos d'Esquadra have indicated that they do not rule out further arrests in connection with the organisation of Blocus.
Source: El País