A 20-year-old man has been remanded in custody in Almería, accused of leading a group that allegedly used Grindr to ambush, beat and rob gay men in planned attacks.
A court in El Ejido has ordered the provisional detention without bail of a man identified by investigators as the alleged ringleader of a group accused of targeting men through the dating app Grindr.
According to the court order, the suspect is being investigated for violent robbery and assault with the aggravating circumstance of hate, following a series of attacks in Las Norias de Daza, in the province of Almería.
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The Guardia Civil investigation, carried out under Operation ‘URGI 26 ROLO’, describes a pattern in which victims were first contacted through a fake profile using stolen photographs to gain their trust.
After arranging what was presented as a consensual meeting, the men were directed to a location on Fresal Street before allegedly being redirected at the last moment to Loro Street, a darker and more secluded area.
Investigators say the suspects acted in groups, sometimes wearing balaclavas to conceal their identities, before surrounding and assaulting the victims.
One of the most serious incidents took place in the early hours of December 31, when a man who had gone to the arranged meeting was allegedly confronted by four hooded individuals.
According to the court document, the group chased him, knocked him to the ground and kicked him while shouting homophobic insults, before stealing his mobile phone.
A similar incident was reported on January 19, when another victim was allegedly approached by three men who accused him of intending to meet a relative, before assaulting him and taking his belongings.
On January 23, the group leader was allegedly identified as taking part directly in a third attack, during which a victim was punched while others restrained him.
The judge justified pretrial detention on the seriousness of the alleged offences, the risk of flight due to the suspect’s links abroad, and the possibility of reoffending, citing the absence of stable employment and a prior criminal record.
The court also pointed to the need to protect victims from potential reprisals.
The Guardia Civil has not ruled out further arrests and is continuing efforts to identify other suspected members of the group.
The Andalucian Observatory against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia has warned that cases of this nature go beyond common robbery, arguing that the alleged use of LGBTQ+ dating platforms suggests deliberate targeting of victims based on sexual orientation.
The organisation also noted that some victims may hesitate to report attacks due to fear of stigma or concerns about disclosing their sexuality, raising the possibility that additional cases remain unreported.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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