A 20-year-old resident of Alicante was arrested in Murcia on Wednesday for impersonating a Guardia Civil officer and asking foreigners passing through the street, to show them what they had in their pockets, according to police sources.

The incident took place about 9:30 am on Calle Santa Joaquina de Vedruna, when a person alerted the local police, having found it “strange” that a man dressed in camouflage clothing and wearing a balaclava on his head, was seen to be asking only foreign persons to show the contents of his pockets.

A patrol of the local police attended, who found a young male, matching the clothing description and wearing a holster and hand-cuffs on his belt, and a camouflage backpack.

After identifying the person, the officers asked if he had been impersonating the Guardia Civil as alleged, and the suspect said “no”.

Given this fact, the officers questioned several people who had witnessed the incident which corroborated the testimony of the person who had called the police.

Again, the officers asked him and he gave a negative response. The officers then proceeded to search the bag that was with the man and located a compressed air weapon inside.

Finally, the officers arrested the man and took him to the offices of the National Police station to conduct inquiries.