The Civil Guard arrested a 41-year-old man in Villamediana de Iregua, La Rioja, after investigators connected him to a series of sniper-style incidents that threatened residents at multiple locations, including homes, a school, and a daycare. Police say the suspect fired from private residences using modified compressed-air rifles, with the intent to harm people in the vicinity. This evolution of the case raised concerns about public safety and prompted a rapid, coordinated investigation. (Citation: Civil Guard, La Rioja).
According to authorities, the man altered air rifles to boost their power, enabling them to fire rounds that went beyond legal limits for such weapons. He reportedly documented the modifications in a note addressed to the La Rioja Civil Guard on Wednesday, outlining his intention and method. The individual is identified as the primary suspect in what investigators term illegal possession of weapons, property damage, and document falsification. (Citation: Civil Guard, La Rioja).
The operation, informally known as a major countercrime effort, began after six complaints from Villamediana residents about blasts piercing through chimneys and the antennas of several residential blocks, alongside disturbances around a school and a daycare. The pattern of events suggested a deliberate attempt to intimidate the community and degrade the sense of security in a small town that counts about 8,000 residents as its population. Surveillance over several months allowed authorities to narrow the field of suspects to one local resident who appeared in various questionable situations during the investigation. (Citation: Civil Guard, La Rioja).
Law enforcement records show the suspect was intermittently stopped at multiple checkpoints during his travels. When his property was further scrutinized, investigators found three long-barrel firearms with a 5.5 mm diameter, along with two scopes, a box of ammunition, a large knife, and assorted accessories. The material was seized and sent to the Civil Guard’s Criminalistics laboratory in La Rioja for testing. Experts confirmed that one of the carabiners had been modified to fire 22-caliber ammunition with heightened lethality, and another gun had been altered to increase its firing power. (Citation: Civil Guard, La Rioja).
Ballistic testing played a critical role. Forensic analysts cross-referenced bullets recovered from the attack zones with the seized firearms and established a match to one of the carabiners used in the shootings. Additional graphic analysis indicated that the weapon registration cards in the suspect’s possession were forged, undermining the authenticity of his claims about ownership. (Citation: Civil Guard, La Rioja).
A court in Logroño authorized searches of two houses and a workshop used as a work site where weapons were stored and shooting tests conducted. The searches yielded three modified firearms, weapon carriers and related accessories, telescopic sights, specialized equipment for precise shooting, two taser-like devices, eight boxes of ammunition, and counterfeit gun cards. In parallel, authorities recovered small quantities of cannabis and amphetamine-type stimulants, including 120 MDMA pills, all of which were documented in the operation’s records. Nearby a school and a kindergarten, the property had become a site where individuals seeking ecstasy visited regularly, according to investigators. (Citation: Civil Guard, La Rioja).
The detainee and the seized items were brought under judicial custody, with a detailed report confirming the weapons’ lethality and the associated risk to the community. The case continues under formal investigation, and authorities emphasize that the ongoing analysis will determine the full extent of the suspect’s activities and any additional accomplices who may have played a role. (Citation: Civil Guard, La Rioja).