Investigators say the planned 31 October operation was meant to draw police away while groups targeted shops in Valencia. An 18-year-old was arrested in Alfafar over alleged plans to use Molotov cocktails as a diversion for looting.
Police say the teenager was active in messaging groups created by another young man arrested on Wednesday. He allegedly described how to make incendiary devices and encouraged attacks on shops in central Valencia. Investigators say he also told participants to leave the camp in Plaza del Ayuntamiento untouched.
The arrest came minutes before the Guardia Civil announced the detention of a 25-year-old man in Picanya on 30 October. Investigators identified him as the alleged founder and principal promoter of Blocus in Spain, and suspected him of running Telegram groups used to coordinate planned actions. The Guardia Civil says the inquiry could involve aggravated public disorder and criminal organisation offences.
The arrests followed the Policía Nacional’s announcement on 29 October that it had detained a 17-year-old alleged creator of the Blocus Vlc channels. Police said the channels, created at the beginning of that week, called for looting and attacks on Valencia shops on 31 October, and confirmed that they had been closed. Fiscalía de Menores ordered the 17-year-old’s precautionary placement in a juvenile centre. Police attributed to the teenager alleged conspiracy to commit public-disorder offences and crimes against property. They also alleged membership of an organised group.
The two Valencia-area arrests form part of a wider investigation into calls circulated online under the cover of student protests. Authorities say TikTok videos and posters with QR codes directed interested users to WhatsApp* (принадлежит Metа, которая признана экстремистской организацией и запрещена в РФ) and Telegram groups, then to private channels. Organisers allegedly urged members to share links in school groups. That helped the calls reach minors. Reporting on the investigation describes Blocus as a network that used online channels to promote gatherings presented as student demonstrations while allegedly directing participants toward disorder and looting.
Messages told participants to carry school bags and banners to make the gatherings look like student demonstrations. Other instructions called for dark clothing and masks to make identification harder. According to investigators, a private chat was to identify shops with little or no police presence on 31 October. Jewellers and luxury retailers were mentioned; large stores were also discussed.
The inquiry follows unrest in Barcelona on 24 October, when more than 500 adolescents and young people were involved in disturbances, according to police information reported by Levante-EMV. The case records describe shops being looted and fires being set. El Español reported that by 26 October the arrest total had reached 130, including 76 minors and 54 adults. Mossos d’Esquadra also arrested an 18-year-old in Barcelona on 30 October over alleged links to Blocus channels that had called for the disturbances. Within the same 48-hour period, police had also arrested a 17-year-old in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia and a 16-year-old in Bellmunt d’Urgell, Lleida. The 16-year-old was described as the alleged creator and administrator of one channel.
Police say some participants discussed setting fire to businesses and Barcelona City Hall. Investigators also detected efforts to delete messages and shift communications into more restricted channels. The Guardia Civil says its open-source monitoring and review of messaging channels connected the Picanya suspect to several Telegram groups. Some were replaced after being shut down. Investigators regarded the 25-year-old as a central organiser and alleged that he promoted a repeat of the Barcelona disorder, including shop looting.
The 18-year-old arrested in Alfafar is expected to appear before a judge. The Policía Nacional says its investigation is continuing.
