Catalan police arrest three minors over Blocus channels inciting riots
Mossos d'Esquadra say a 16-year-old ran the Blocus Lleida channel, as two more minors were arrested elsewhere in Catalonia over similar riot-incitement groups.
Update ·
Catalan police arrest two more minors over Blocus riot-incitement channels, beyond the original Lleida suspect.
Catalan police have arrested three minors in total over online "Blocus" channels that called for looting and attacks on officers ahead of a planned weekend demonstration, after two more arrests followed the detention of a 16-year-old accused of running the Blocus Lleida group, Spanish media reported.
Mossos d'Esquadra said the 16-year-old was detained on Thursday in Bellmunt d'Urgell, Lleida province, as the suspected creator and administrator of the Blocus Lleida channel. Police allege he directed other members on which shops to target, what clothing to wear to avoid identification, and talked about using violence and injurious objects against police.
The force said two further minors were arrested elsewhere in Catalonia on Friday in connection with Blocus channels inciting further unrest, though the material reviewed did not give further detail on their identities, ages or locations.
Separately, Spain's national police arrested a 17-year-old in Valencia on suspicion of creating a Blocus channel calling for similar disorder there on 31 October, ABC reported. The Lleida and Valencia cases are being investigated separately.
The Lleida suspect is being investigated on suspicion of conspiracy to commit public disorder and incitement to criminal damage, Mossos said; these are police allegations, not findings of guilt, and no court conviction has been reported for any of the minors.
Barcelona's city council convened an emergency security meeting over fears of a repeat of the 24 October unrest, when about 500 people gathered in the city centre, looting 23 shops and injuring 14 Mossos officers, four of them seriously, according to ABC. Officials from the Mossos, Policía Nacional, Guardia Civil and prosecutors attended and pledged "zero tolerance" for violence.
The Barcelona bar association said it was adding lawyers to handle expected new cases, increasing its criminal-duty roster from 13 to 20 and its juvenile roster from two to ten, in anticipation of further arrests this weekend.
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What we know
- Catalan police have now arrested three minors over Blocus channels that incited looting and violence, after two more arrests followed the original Lleida detention
- A 16-year-old was detained in Bellmunt d'Urgell, Lleida province, as the suspected creator of the Blocus Lleida channel
- Spain's national police separately arrested a 17-year-old in Valencia over a similar Blocus channel there
- The 24 October Barcelona unrest saw 23 shops looted and 14 Mossos officers injured, four seriously, ABC reported
- Barcelona's bar association is adding lawyers to its criminal and juvenile duty rosters ahead of expected new cases
Not yet confirmed
- Unconfirmed Identities, ages and locations of the two additional minors arrested in Catalonia were not given in the material reviewed
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
The arrests show Catalan and Spanish police treating the Blocus messaging phenomenon as a coordinated pattern spreading beyond Barcelona to Lleida and Valencia, rather than isolated copycat posts. Authorities' decision to pursue the minors who run these channels, rather than only those who loot on the day, reflects concern that anonymous organisers are mobilising groups of children as young as 12 into vandalism and violence against police.
Live updates
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Catalan police arrest two more minors over Blocus riot-incitement channels, beyond the original Lleida suspect.
First published.
Sources
Reported by 6 reports from 6 independent outlets in 2 countries.
- ElDiario.es: Detenido un menor de edad por crear el canal Blocus de Lleida e incitar a saqueos
- La Razón: Los Mossos detienen a un menor por crear canales 'Blocus' en Lleida: "Incitaba a los integrantes para realizar actos vandálicos"
- ABC: Detenido un Lérida un menor de 16 años por crear y administrar los canales de Blocus para incitar a los saqueos
- EFE: Detienen a un menor por crear un canal de Blocus para instigar disturbios en Lleida
- La Vanguardia: Los Mossos detienen a un adolescente que instigaba a los saqueos en Lleida en un canal de Blocus
Source balance
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Questions and answers
- How many minors have been arrested over Blocus channels?
- Catalan police said three minors had been arrested in total: the original suspect in Lleida and two more arrested afterwards, plus a separate arrest in Valencia.
- What is the suspect in Lleida accused of?
- Mossos d'Esquadra say the 16-year-old created and ran the Blocus Lleida channel, directing members on targets, clothing and the use of violence against police.
- How serious was the earlier Barcelona unrest?
- ABC reported that 23 shops were looted and 14 Mossos officers were injured, four of them seriously, during the 24 October unrest in Barcelona.
This article was written with AI assistance from 6 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.