Security Arrests Five Pickpockets During Pope Leo XIV Visit in Buenos Aires

Law enforcement officers in Buenos Aires arrested five pickpockets on Monday during security operations implemented for the official visit of Pope Leo XIV. The detentions occurred across high-traffic locations, including Plaza de Mayo and Puerto Madero, as crowds gathered to participate in the papal activities.

According to police sources, four members of an organized group were apprehended in Plaza de Mayo near Rivadavia and Reconquista streets. Urban Monitoring Center operators spotted the suspects after one of them snatched an item from a pedestrian while accomplices created a diversion by pushing through the surrounding crowd to facilitate the escape.

Officers from the City Police Communal Precinct 1 D arrested four individuals aged 21, 22, 27, and 32, all originating from Lomas de Zamora and Lanús. Official reports noted that the two youngest suspects held prior criminal records involving robbery, aggravated robbery, and theft, with previous legal prosecutions.

A separate incident unfolded on Monday afternoon in Puerto Madero at the intersection of Alicia Moreau de Justo and Azucena Villaflor. Officers from Communal Precinct 1 E detained a 26-year-old resident of Córdoba after a victim reported the theft of a gold chain during the security operation.

Police personnel successfully recovered the stolen necklace from the suspect, who was subsequently taken into custody. These security measures formed part of a massive coordination effort led by the Buenos Aires government and the national security ministry to safeguard the pontiff's schedule.

The broader security deployment involved over 15,000 city police officers alongside federal forces, firefighters, and emergency personnel. Authorities previously reported large gatherings, including a mass held near the Spanish Monument in Palermo that drew approximately 19,000 participants supported by comprehensive medical and transit assistance.

In a separate security case, counterterrorism forces in the Buenos Aires province arrested a 58-year-old man accused of making an anonymous emergency call threatening the life of Pope Leo XIV. Authorities confirmed that this marked the second arrest related to threats against the Supreme Pontiff, following an earlier detention in Pilar.