Seven arrested in Spain over theft of 1,100 outdoor chairs

Spanish police arrested seven people this week in connection with a large theft of outdoor restaurant furniture in and around Madrid, authorities said, seizing a criminal operation that stole more than 1,100 chairs from bars and cafes over a two-month span. The arrests, announced Wednesday by Spain's National Police, followed an investigation into repeated complaints by business owners who found fewer chairs than they had left stacked outside at closing.

Police said six men and one woman carried out the thefts at night in August and September, targeting at least 18 establishments in Madrid and in Talavera de la Reina, a smaller city southwest of the capital. The stolen chairs, typically metal or hard plastic models commonly left outdoors and sometimes chained in stacks, were taken from terraces and other outdoor seating areas while venues were closed. Authorities estimate the value of the stolen furniture at roughly 60,000 euros.

Investigators concluded that the suspects were acting as part of an organized scheme rather than stealing for personal use. According to police, the group resold the chairs within Spain and exported some to buyers in Morocco and Romania. The seven...