Guardia Civil arrests alleged founder of Spain's 'Blocus' riot network

Spain's Guardia Civil arrested the alleged founder and main organiser of the "Blocus" movement in Picanya, near Valencia, on Friday, as authorities braced for a new round of looting calls disguised as student protests planned for Saturday.

The man is accused of creating and running Telegram groups that coordinated the planned unrest, and of presenting himself online as the leader of Blocus in Spain, posting a video of a hooded figure declaring himself the movement's leader. Investigators say the alleged offences could amount to aggravated public disorder and membership of a criminal organisation.

According to police, recruitment began with AI-generated TikTok videos and posters carrying QR codes that directed interested people to WhatsApp and Telegram groups, and then to more private channels. Organisers told recruits to wear black clothing and masks to avoid identification by police, and to bring school bags and banners so the gathering would look like a genuine student protest, the Guardia Civil said. The plan for Saturday involved gathering participants at a central point and then messaging them, in real time, about which shops lacked a police presence, prioritising jewellers, luxury stores and department stores, investigators said. Some participants in the chats also proposed setting fire to shops and to Barcelona's city hall.

Separately, National Police arrested an 18-year-old in Alfafar, also near Valencia, on Friday, accused of urging other members of a "Blocus Vlc" chat group to use Molotov cocktails to distract security forces while others carried out looting in Valencia on Saturday. Police said he explained in detail how to make the devices and named specific shops in the city centre, while telling the group to leave an encampment in the Ayuntamiento square undamaged. He is the second person arrested over the same investigation, after a 17-year-old was detained on Wednesday and placed in a youth centre by order of the juvenile prosecutor's office.

Valencia's mayor, María José Catalá, said she would double the number of police officers planned for Saturday and advised residents and tourists to avoid the city centre. The day coincides with Halloween celebrations and a demonstration marking the second anniversary of the 2024 DANA floods. The unrest follows disturbances in Barcelona on 24 October involving around 500 people, many of them minors, police said.