The National Police have detained a 37-year-old Spaniard in connection with a robbery committed with violence and intimidation at the Church of Santiago de Orihuela. The arrest took place in the early afternoon, after authorities were alerted to the incident.
According to officers, the call came in at 1:00 pm on a recent Friday. When units arrived, they found the suspect struggling on the floor while attempting to flee. A confrontation had already unfolded as a woman and two men from the congregation attempted to intervene and stop the thief from leaving the scene with stolen items.
Moments before his capture, the suspect was observed trying to take a precious item from the church’s altar. He had removed a locked box from the altar area and extracted a gilded chalice from within it, after the box was located on or near the altar as described by witnesses at the scene.
After the allegation was raised, the suspect allegedly forced a witness to flee and then engaged in a physical altercation with two men from the congregation who were trying to prevent the theft. The arrival of National Police units soon after helped to bring the incident under control.
Two congregants sustained minor injuries during the incident. The assailant, identified by authorities, was taken into custody and transported to a local police facility for processing.
In a separate but related development in the same town, a violent robbery was reported at a Chinese market days prior. The suspect attempted to steal a charger valued at 15.95 euros and got into a struggle with the shop owner in a bid to escape. This prior incident contributed to the suspect’s pattern of alleged property crimes.
With multiple arrests recently, the individual faces charges related to property crimes and the church robbery. The suspect was slated for court proceedings to address the allegations and determine appropriate legal actions moving forward.
Context for readers in Canada and the United States: local police responses to religious spaces and public retail locations often emphasize rapid incident reporting, on-site interventions by bystanders, and coordinated follow-up with specialized units. In cases involving valuables within protected sites, authorities stress the importance of documenting evidence and preserving the scene for investigative purposes. The public is reminded to notify law enforcement promptly and to avoid confrontation that could escalate risk to bystanders or victims. Citations: police incident logs and court filings related to the Orihuela case.