People Shout 'Allah Is Great' At Good Friday Procession In Spain, Sparking Panic And Injuring Dozens
Eight people were arrested for provoking a stampede that instigated mayhem during a Lenten procession in Southern Spain which caused more than a dozen injuries. The troublemakers were heard shouting pro-Islamic phrases but authorities ruled out any link between them and terrorist groups.
The incident occurred during an Easter procession called "La Madruga" in the Spanish city of Seville, which attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators including tourists from around the world. The festivity began at midnight but disturbances broke out as the parade made its way through the city center.
One witness said things began at around 4:00 a.m. CEST on Good Friday with a loud noise and people running in different directions like galloping animals. Another likened the noise to the rumbling of an earthquake. Up to 100 people were hospitalized including a 60-year-old man who is in intensive care due to serious head injuries.
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An AFP photographer who stood on top of a bridge that goes over Guadalquivir River saw the panic among the people. Some women and children with prams fell to the water while others on the street hung onto window bars. The procession continued when the situation was brought back under control.
In the morning, four police raids were carried out with a total of eight people aged between 19 and 47 arrested for public disorder including a Senegalese national, the Seville emergency services said in a statement. Five of those arrested were released while three are still in custody, Daily Mail reported.
The statement explained that the three were caught carrying metal bars which they used to make loud noises or "wild gesticulations" while shouting "Ala es grande" or "Allah is Great" and other slogans in support of Basque terrorist organization ETA. Authorities considered them "common delinquents" with one of them having been arrested 36 times.
Investigators made it clear the suspects are not Arabic in origin and the motive behind the incident was just to provoke chaos. They also treated the incident as cases of vandalism and hooliganism, and not connected to any terror plot. Police are soliciting video footages of the incident from the public to bolster the investigation.
