Spain strengthens security in shops following arrest of Blocus leader without bail
A court in Valencia orders preventive detention without bail for the alleged founder of Blocus Spain. Shops in Madrid, Barcelona and other cities fortify shop windows ahead of calls for disturbances on social media.
Spain strengthens security in shops following arrest of Blocus leader without bail
A duty magistrate at the court in Torrent, Valencia, has ordered the admission to provisional prison and without entitlement to bail of a young man considered by investigators to be the "founder and driving force" of Blocus Spain. According to france24.com, the detainee, captured on Friday in Picanya by the Civil Guard, is accused of leading a criminal organisation dedicated to inciting public disorder, shop robberies and material damage.
The investigated individual will not be able to access computers or devices from prison that would allow him to connect to social media, a measure adopted pursuant to a ruling by the Superior Court of Justice of the Valencian Community. His detention is part of a joint operation by the National Police and Civil Guard against individuals linked to internet channels that promote altercations and looting.
Operations have been extended across multiple Spanish cities, resulting in the detention of at least a dozen young people, several of them minors, for alleged connection with calls to provoke disturbances. In Valencia, an 18-year-old was arrested for disseminating instructions on social media for making Molotov cocktails and participating in looting. A 17-year-old minor was identified as the alleged creator of Blocus VLC channels from which the looting of establishments was incited; the Public Prosecutor's Office for Minors ordered his precautionary detention.
In Bilbao, another detainee was accused of administering a Blocus account from which incidents were called; the duty court agreed to his provisional release without bail. Investigations continue in other Spanish cities in search of those responsible for the calls disseminated through social media and messaging applications.
Shops reinforce protections ahead of calls during Halloween
Commercial areas in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao, San Sebastián and Palma strengthened their security measures on Saturday, 31 October, ahead of fresh calls circulating on social media that could generate disturbances and looting. In Madrid, establishments on the "golden mile" on streets such as Serrano, Goya, Jorge Juan and Ortega y Gasset protected shop windows with wooden panels and other preventive barriers. Businesses of major fashion and luxury brands adopted these precautions; some brought forward closure times, others awaited how the situation would develop.
Similar measures were taken at other points in Madrid, including Alcalá street. Traders in the city-centre areas of Bilbao and San Sebastián also fortified their shop windows amid concerns over possible violent actions. These security devices are reminiscent of those adopted following the incidents and looting recorded the previous week in Barcelona and other European cities.
Maximum police alert in Barcelona and Valencia
In Barcelona, the Mossos d'Esquadra announced a maximum-level security operation ahead of a fresh call linked to Blocus. The regional police activated alert level 4, the highest level provided for, in view of the possibility of a gathering that could escalate into incidents. The deployment comes after altercations recorded in the city the previous weekend, when participants provoked attacks against commercial establishments.
In Valencia, the Local Police doubled the operation planned for Halloween night ahead of calls for disturbances and looting in the historic centre. The town council coordinated the operation with the National Police and Civil Guard, issuing prevention recommendations to traders.
Warning from the United States
The United States recommended its citizens in Spain avoid locations with possible incidents during Halloween and the All Saints' Day weekend. Tensions escalated following the order for provisional detention of the young man identified as the "founder and driving force" of Blocus Spain, a movement with anonymous profiles that calls for unrest through social media.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)