Three youths arrested in Spain over Halloween looting calls
Spanish police arrested three youths who allegedly coordinated looting and violence through the "Blocus" group. Concerns are also growing in France and Germany over disturbances during the Halloween weekend.
Arrests in Spain following unrest – concerns over Halloween riots
According to de.euronews.com, Spanish police have arrested three youths in connection with looting and unrest that rocked central Barcelona around a week ago. Investigators are focusing on the "Blocus" group, whose messaging channels were apparently used to coordinate violent actions.
Arrests were made in Valencia, Lleida and on Thursday in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia near Barcelona. The most recently arrested is a 17-year-old, whom the Catalan regional police Mossos d'Esquadra accuse of being connected to the groups held responsible for the disturbances on 24 October.
According to investigators, the youth is alleged to have shared access links to the "Blocus" channel, distributed instructions on equipment for protests, and explained online how to avoid identification by security forces. He is also said to have encouraged other participants to commit acts of violence and marked certain shops as potential looting targets.
Investigators are now active against "Blocus" in several Spanish cities. In parallel, Italian police in Milan are investigating threats and calls for violence online following unrest there.
Ahead of 31 October, European authorities are responding with heightened alert status. The French Interior Ministry announced the deployment of 70,000 security personnel following looting in several French cities on 17 October, which made headlines across Europe. In Germany, the initiative "Gen Z regelt" is mobilising protests in several cities for the first time this Saturday – police are on standby.
Source: Google News AT — Crime (de)