Three musicians arrested for setting fire to waste bins following unauthorised concert in Malaga

The incident happened in the early hours, just as the 11-N general strike was getting under way. The first report the police received stated that two waste bins on Avenida José Ortega y Gasset were on fire.

As the patrol car approached the area, the driver of a car travelling in the opposite direction stopped the police to tell them what he had just witnessed. He reported that three men had set fire to a bin just 50 metres from there and were calmly walking away along the pavement.

The police continued on their way and managed to intercept the suspects just a few metres further on. During a routine search, they found two lighters, two balaclavas, a torch, a pair of drumsticks, two hats, one of which was a pharaoh's headdress, and a sticker bearing the emblem of the band inside a rucksack.

The police quickly pieced together the sequence of events, with the help of members of the public. Nearby, they located two further witnesses who identified the musicians beyond any doubt as the individuals who, moments earlier, had set fire to a waste bin. According to reports, they did so openly, shouting in English that they intended to set fire to waste bins in the area.

The witnesses also said that the band had just performed at an underground venue and showed the police a video of the gig. The footage clearly showed one of the detainees playing the drums while wearing the very same pharaoh's cap that had been seized.

Firefighters put out the flames and secured the area. Although the musicians had no connection to the strike, the operation was part of the special measures in place that day.

The police arrested the three band members.

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