Four detainees of Blocus for disturbances and looting in Palma

PalmaThe National Police have arrested four people in Palma during the last week for their alleged connection to the digital network Blocus, from which riots and looting were promoted and coordinated with the intention of "sowing chaos," especially during the night of All Saints' Eve, Halloween. The arrests in the Balearic capital are part of a police operation that has resulted in 18 detainees in seven cities across the country, 13 of whom are minors.

In addition to the four people arrested in Palma, the operation has concluded with four arrests in Malaga, three in Valencia, three in Barcelona, two in Lleida, one in Bilbao and one in Seville. According to the National Police, among those arrested are 16 men and 2 women, who are accused of alleged crimes of conspiracy to commit public disorder, conspiracy to perpetrate crimes against property and membership of an organized group.

The investigation indicates that the members of the network used social media and different digital communication channels to set targets, identify the places where they had to act and incite the use of weapons. In these spaces, detailed instructions for manufacturing homemade incendiary devices, such as Molotov cocktails, were also allegedly disseminated. The National Police points out that within the network there were profiles with different degrees of involvement in the planning, coordination, direction and dissemination of the calls.

The investigation remains open

The origin of the operation is located in the incidents registered in Barcelona last October 24th. Based on these events, investigators detected a rapid spread of the threats to other cities, including Madrid, Malaga, Valencia, Bilbao, and Palma.

The National Police explained that several cities in the State reinforced security measures during Halloween night due to the risk of disturbances. According to the police statement, the calls generated a situation of insecurity and could cause economic damage to commercial establishments. The investigation remains open and agents keep the tracking of digital channels linked to the network active. For this reason, the National Police does not rule out that new arrests could occur.