The Mossos d'Esquadra have turned to CITCO to request the closure of Telegram channels linked to Blocus, used to prepare disturbances in Barcelona during Halloween.
The Mossos d'Esquadra have, for the first time, approached the Intelligence Centre against Terrorism and Organised Crime (CITCO), which is part of the Ministry of the Interior, to request the closure of Telegram channels linked to Blocus. According to police sources, these groups would be used to prepare new violent actions during the night of Halloween, and this is the first time the Catalan Police has employed this route to close such channels.
Investigators detected in the group BLOCUS-BCN, which exceeded one thousand followers, messages inciting looting and compiling lists of businesses likely to be raided during the planned gathering on Saturday, October 31. When the channel began to gain notoriety, its administrators attempted to present it as a peaceful gathering and even as a yoga activity.
The Mossos forwarded the information to the National Unit for the Removal of Illegal Content on the Internet (UNECI) at CITCO. Shortly after, Telegram closed the first group, but the response came in a second channel, Blocus-Bcn-2, which surpassed 2,000 users within hours. That group was closed on Tuesday afternoon, and a third account disappeared before six.
For the Catalan Police, the problem is the speed. Closing a channel does not deactivate the call, because its promoters can recreate the community and move their followers there in a matter of hours. For this reason, the Mossos maintain constant surveillance over Telegram and other platforms to locate new coordination spaces.
The European framework allows for the removal of terrorist material within a maximum period of one hour. Channels promoting disturbances and looting follow a different procedure: their removal depends on the cooperation of the platforms, unless a judge orders the closure within a criminal investigation, a route that takes more time.
UNECI was formally created in 2024 and focuses on terrorism, radicalisation, and violent extremism, although it also intervenes in hate crimes. The call for October 31 comes after the serious incidents recorded in Barcelona, with fires, barricades, attacks against officers, and looting of businesses.
Judges have already begun to act against those arrested. According to a ruling issued after their initial statements, a judge considers that the call that led to the disturbances was presented as a protest but lacked specific reivindicative content and aimed to facilitate the looting of establishments. Two of the arrested individuals have been imposed with a prohibition on attending protests, meetings, or reivindicative gatherings.
Trending on the web
You may also like
