The Mossos d'Esquadra arrested this Saturday, October 31, a 21-year-old young man in Cabrera d'Anoia (Barcelona) for his alleged involvement in the looting and disturbances recorded in the Catalan capital last October 24. According to the Autonomous Police reported through its official account on the social network X, the arrested man would have performed functions of "instigator and dynamizer" of one of the looting groups related to Blocus Barcelona, the movement that has led different calls spread through social networks and messaging channels.
The arrest raises to four the number of people arrested in Catalonia for their alleged participation in the organization of the channels linked to Blocus. The investigators consider that the young man would have intervened in the mobilization of other participants during last week’s incidents, when groups of people caused disturbances and damage to commercial establishments in downtown Barcelona. For the moment, the Mossos have not provided more details about the specific actions attributed to the detainee nor about his judicial situation.
The Catalan Police has confirmed that the investigation remains open and that further arrests are not ruled out, so the inquiries remain focused on identifying the people who allegedly participated in the organization and dissemination of the violent calls.
Fourth arrest over the Blocus groups in Catalonia
The arrest in Cabrera d'Anoia adds to three others carried out during the last few days by the Mossos d'Esquadra, within the framework of an investigation into the communication channels used to allegedly promote looting, acts of vandalism and confrontations with the security forces.
Last Thursday, October 29, the agents arrested in Bellmunt d'Urgell (Lleida) a 17-year-old minor, whom they attribute with the creation and administration of Blocus communication channels in the province. According to the police investigation, these spaces would have been used to spread calls and incite other participants to commit acts of vandalism and attacks against officers.
That same Thursday night, the Mossos arrested in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia another 17-year-old minor for his alleged involvement in organizing the Barcelona riots on October 24. The Police maintain that the young man participated in a messaging group from which possible looting and public disorder were coordinated. Among the conduct attributed to him are the dissemination of links to access the group, the exchange of instructions to avoid police detection, and the proposal of establishments that could become targets of the looting.
The third arrest took place on Friday, October 30, in Barcelona, where a 18-year-old young man was arrested as the alleged instigator and driver of one of the groups linked to Blocus. According to the investigators, he maintained a relationship with the same communication environment in which the minor arrested in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia participated.
With the new operation this Saturday, the Mossos bring to four the detainees specifically related to the organization of the Blocus channels in Catalonia, a figure distinct from the arrests made directly during the street clashes of last October 24.
The looting of October 24 and the investigation of the messaging channels
The police operation has its origin in the riots recorded on Saturday, October 24 in the center of Barcelona, when a call spread under the name of Blocus led to confrontations with the Police, damage to urban furniture, and looting of commercial establishments.
The incidents ended with more than a hundred detainees and numerous identified persons, in addition to material damage in various shops. Since then, the General Information Commissariat of the Mossos has been conducting a specific investigation to determine who promoted the calls and what role the administrators and participants of the messaging groups used to spread them played.
The inquiries are not limited to identifying the people who physically participated in the riots. The agents are also investigating those who allegedly organized, coordinated, or encouraged the violent acts through the internet, although the eventual criminal responsibility of each detainee must be determined individually.
The detention of an administrator or participant in a digital group does not by itself prove that he or she has committed a crime. The investigators will have to prove what messages each person disseminated, what their role was in the organization of the events and whether their conduct can constitute a criminal offense.
Barcelona reinforces security in the face of the new Blocus convocations
The fourth arrest coincides with a day especially under surveillance in Barcelona. The Mossos d'Esquadra have prepared a level 4 police deployment, the maximum provided for mobilizations in the public thoroughfare, in view of the new Blocus convocations announced for this Saturday, October 31, coinciding with Halloween and the celebration of the Castanyada.
The operation, coordinated with the Guardia Urbana, contemplates a reinforcement of the police presence in the center of Barcelona and preventive controls in public transport. The authorities intend to prevent the looting and disturbances from last week from being repeated, as well as to identify possible participants in violent actions.
Concern has spread to other Spanish cities, where different businesses have protected their shop windows in the face of calls for new gatherings. In Catalonia, the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, has warned that the people who participate in looting will have to answer before Justice and has defended the preventive action of the security forces.
While the police deployment continues, the investigation into Blocus remains open and could lead to new arrests. The Mossos are trying to clarify the structure of the groups used to spread the convocations of October 24 and determine the degree of participation of their alleged organizers. The latest arrestee, a 21-year-old young man arrested in Cabrera d'Anoia, thus joins the three people who had already been arrested during the previous days for their possible involvement in the organization of the movement.