A Maghrebi group was arranging fake dates through Grindr in Almería to assault and rob gay men
One of the most serious incidents occurred in the early hours of New Year's Day. Four strikers chased a victim while shouting death threats and expressions of hate. After kicking him to the ground, they even went so far as to bite his hand to snatch his cell phone.
On January 19, the same criminal pattern was repeated. Three individuals approached another man under the pretext of an alleged defense of "family honor," then beat him up and stole his fanny pack.
A group of young men of Maghrebi origin used fake profiles on the Grindr app to lure gay men. Through the app, they set up violent ambushes in the town of Las Norias de Daza (province of Almería, Spain). The courts have already ordered pretrial detention for the alleged ringleader of the gang, and the investigation continues in order to locate the rest of those involved.
According to the court order issued by the Court of First Instance, 20-year-old Youssef D., who has a criminal record, is alleged to have led a structure that turned online dates into carefully prepared traps. The judge sees solid indications of crimes of robbery with violence and bodily harm, aggravated by hate.
The method was repeated and organized. The defendant created fake profiles on Grindr using stolen photographs to build trust with potential victims. After exchanging messages and agreeing on a meeting, he arranged to meet them in remote areas of Las Norias de Daza.
Once at the location, other members of the group waited with their faces covered. There the assaults began, accompanied by homophobic slurs and explicit threats. In several cases, the victims were beaten brutally and stripped of their belongings.
The Civil Guard's investigation, within the framework of operation "URGI 26 ROLO", detected a systematic pattern of violence.
Days later, on January 23, Youssef D. was again identified as the main assailant in another attack, directing the assault while his accomplices restrained the victim.
The magistrate ordered pretrial detention, communicated and without bail, for the detainee. Among the grounds cited are the seriousness of the events and the risk of flight—given his ties to Morocco. In addition, the order refers to the possibility of repeat offending, given that he is believed to have no known employment and has a criminal record.
The court order also emphasizes the need to protect the victims from possible reprisals.
The operation remains open, and the Civil Guard is working to identify and arrest the rest of the members of the gang. These individuals are believed to have acted in a coordinated manner in western Almería, using technology as a tool to organize the attacks.
