Investigators say QR codes on posters shared on TikTok sent users to WhatsApp groups used to organise the 24 October 2026 unrest in central Barcelona. They linked the disturbances to the online collective Blocus. Reuters reported that about 500 people took part. A judge has ordered a 21-year-old suspect held in provisional detention without bail.
The Barcelona magistrate on duty at the time made the order in an investigation into suspected public disorder and criminal organisation, the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Cataluña (TSJC) said. Mossos d’Esquadra arrested the man on 31 October in Cabrera d’Anoia. Authorities allege he was linked to the coordination of vandalism and to a Blocus-related communications channel used during the disturbances.
Police allege he helped run one of the groups and played an active role in circulating calls connected to the violent incidents. Investigators place him in Barcelona during the unrest. The accusations remain under investigation.
The arrests also include two girls aged 14 and 17, detained in the Maresme and Bages areas. Mossos d’Esquadra and the Policía Nacional are investigating their alleged role in promoting violence and looting. Police sources say the teenagers administered several communication groups used to circulate calls and coordinate participants. They face suspected aggravated public disorder offences involving looting.
The youth section of the Barcelona prosecutor’s office is coordinating inquiries into who planned and circulated the calls that preceded the disturbances and looting. Investigators say QR codes on social media posters gave users access to WhatsApp channels where instructions were shared. By the weekend of 31 October and 1 November, Barcelona youth courts had processed 79 minors arrested in connection with the unrest. Five were ordered into closed custodial facilities, while 32 were placed under probation with restrictions on attending public protests. Another 30 received ordinary probation, and two were released without precautionary measures, according to Todo Alicante.
Police and arrest totals have differed across reports. Catalan police reported 132 arrests, including 83 minors and 49 adults, while El País later reported 133 arrests, including 89 minors, and about 30 businesses looted. Reuters reported that approximately 500 people took part in the disturbances. The case follows earlier reporting on the arrest of an 18-year-old linked to Blocus, covered in an earlier case.
