Thread: Barcelona: 13 killed as van rams crowds in Las Ramblas

Barcelona: 13 killed as van rams crowds in Las Ramblas

• 8/17/17

At least 13 people have died and dozens were injured after a van ploughed into crowds in Barcelona's famous Las Ramblas tourist area, police and local officials say.

The vehicle sped along the pedestrian area, mowing down people and sending others fleeing for cover.
Police are treating the incident as terrorism.
Later they said a man was arrested over the attack. Spanish media are reporting another suspect died in a shootout.
El Mundo newspaper said the shootout happened in Sant Just Lesvern, on the outskirts of the city.

Witnesses said the van in Las Ramblas had deliberately targeted people before stopping.
Spanish media reports said the driver of the vehicle - a white Fiat that had been rented in the city - had fled on foot.
But police denied earlier reports of two suspected attackers taking cover in a bar in the city centre.

Image caption Police released this photo of a man alleged to have rented the van Local authorities in the small town of Vic in Catalonia say police have cordoned off the area and are inspecting another van amid suggestions it may have been used as a getaway vehicle.
Meanwhile police released a photo of a man named as Driss Oubakir, who is alleged to have rented the van used to drive into pedestrians.
Local media say he is in his 20s, and was born in Morocco.
Live updates

• In pictures: Barcelona van attack

The attack happened at the height of the season in one of Europe's top tourist destinations.
Vehicles have been used to ram into crowds in a series of attacks across Europe since July last year.

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At the scene: By Anna Lindsay, BBC News

As I was trying to walk to Las Ramblas I was stopped nearby at a police cordon in the tourist melting pot of beautiful, palm-filled Placa Reial.
From there, I could see armoured vehicles lining Las Ramblas and ambulances screeching to get past, a sense of panic in the air.
Soon, several plain-clothed officers in bullet-proof vests shouted at everyone to immediately evacuate the square.
Visibly stunned tourists were left wondering how this could happen in what many consider one of the safest places to visit in Europe. Local residents could not believe this was happening in their city too.
We ran to a nearby restaurant, extreme nervousness and anxiety on the faces of everyone there, getting updates from the TV inside and mobile phones ringing endlessly.
The owner told us the police wanted him to close his premises immediately and we had to seek shelter elsewhere. The security zone was being widened as the attacker was being hunted, he said.

---

What did people see?

Tom Markwell from New Orleans, who was just arriving in a taxi in Las Ramblas, said: "I heard a crowd screaming. It sounded like they were screaming for a movie star.
"I saw the van. It had already been busted on the front. It was weaving left and right, trying to hit people as fast as possible. There were people lying on the ground."

Aamer Anwar said he was walking down Las Ramblas, which was "jam-packed" with tourists.

"All of a sudden, I just sort of heard a crashing noise and the whole street just started to run, screaming. I saw a woman right next to me screaming for her kids," he told Sky News.
"Police were very, very quickly there, police officers with guns, batons, everywhere. Then the whole street started getting pushed back.
"Police officers who got there just started screaming at people to move back, move back."
Kevin Kwast, who is on holiday in Barcelona with his family, said: "I was eating with my family in La Boqueria market very near where the crash occurred.
"Hundreds of people started stampeding through the market... we started running with them going outside right into where casualties were already on the ground.
"Police pushed us into a money transfer shop and we've been sheltering there for over an hour."
How have politicians reacted?

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he was in contact with authorities, and the priority was to attend to the injured.
The United States has offered its assistance to Spain.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said consular assistance was being provided to Americans in the city, and urged US nationals to check in with their families.
"Terrorists around the world should know the United States and our allies are resolved to find you and bring you to justice," he told reporters.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May said her thoughts were with the victims, adding that "the UK stands with Spain against terror".
French President Emmanuel Macron said: "We remain united and determined."

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Las Ramblas

• Central boulevard that runs 1.2km (0.75 miles) through the centre of Barcelona

• Runs from the city's Plaça de Catalunya (Catalonia Square) to the Christopher Columbus monument at the seafront.

• Popular with tourists because of its market stalls, bars and restaurants

• Barcelona city council restricted traffic flow because of heavy pedestrian use of the street

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40965581

NEW TERROR ATTACK STOPPED
Spanish police kill five suspects
hours after Barcelona massacre



Several killed in Spain anti-terror operation after Barcelona attack

By Travis Fedschun, Nicole Darrah Published August 17, 2017 Fox News


Police in Spain announced early Friday they killed five people in a suspected second terror attack in Cambrils, hours after a van rammed into a crowd about 70 miles away in Barcelona, killing at least 13 people.

State-run broadcaster RTVE reported the suspects attempted to carry out a similar attack to the one in Barcelona, by driving a vehicle into pedestrians. It said seven people were injured -- two seriously -- by the suspects.

Authorities said the suspects were wearing bomb belts.

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Intense gunfire can be heard in the city of #Cambrils as an anti-terrorist operation continues near the city centre.
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The regional police force said it's working to determine if the suspects in Cambrils were linked to the Barcelona attack, as well as to a Wednesday night gas explosion in Alcanar, which left one person dead.

BARCELONA ATTACK: WITNESSES DESCRIBE 'CHAOS' IN THE STREETS AFTER DEADLY CRASH

Meantime, authorities were on the hunt for the van driver that killed at least 13 people and injured more than 100. It was not immediately clear how the suspects killed in Cambrils may have been connected to the Barcelona attack.

At least two people have been arrested as suspects in the Barcelona incident, according to the regional president of Catalonia. One of the suspects is a Spanish national from Melilla, and the other is a Moroccan citizen who lived in Spain legally.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the terror attack on Thursday through its propaganda arm, according to SITE Intel Group.

"The perpetrators of the attack in #Barcelona are Islamic state soldiers and carried out the operation on command of [ISIS' leader] of targeting coalition countries," the ISIS release stated.

A senior police official said the van attack is connected to a gas explosion inside a house in the town of Alcanar Wednesday, in which one person was killed and seven were injured.

Authorities confirmed that police fatally shot the driver of a vehicle that drove through a police checkpoint and struck two officers earlier, but a Catalan police official said the dead driver "doesn't have any connection with the terrorist attack we are investigating."

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BREAKING: 'Amaq News Agency reported #ISIS responsibility for #Barcelona attack #Spain
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Police initially named Driss Oukabir, the Moroccan, as a suspect in the attack. However, local media are reporting a man with that name told police that his identification documents were stolen, possibly by his younger brother.

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Police officers tell members of the public to leave the scene in a street in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017 (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)


BARCELONA TERROR ATTACK: TIMELINE OF RECENT VEHICLE INCIDENTS IN EUROPE

The white van jumped onto a promenade and sped through a pedestrian zone on Las Ramblas of Barcelona, the famous main pedestrian walk way that crosses the city. The van swerved from side to side as it plowed into tourists and residents.

"It was clearly a terror attack, intended to kill as many people as possible," senior police official Josep Lluis Trapero said at a news conference.

RTVE reported that investigators think two vans were used -- one for the attack and a second as a getaway vehicle.

Police killed a gunman in a shootout a few miles from Barcelona soon after the crash, El Mundo newspaper reported. However, police said later the gunman was not linked to the terror attack.

Local media originally reported two men involved in the attack had been holed up in a bar, but that was dispelled by Catalan police.

Expand / Collapse
The scene in Barcelona.


Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau announced a minute of silence will be held Friday in the city's main square "to show that we are not scared." The moment of silence will be followed by three days of mourning.
"We are a strong city in its diversity and values. Barcelona is a city of peace, of dialogue, of democracy, valient, open to the world. The cowards that have tried to plant terror will not get away with it," Colau said.
"London, Brussels, Paris and some other European cities have had the same experience. It's been Barcelona's turn today," said Carles Puigdemont, the head of the regional government.
Prime Minister of Spain Mariano Rajoy tweeted that he is going to Barcelona.
BARCELONA TERROR ATTACK: LAWMAKERS AND NATIONAL FIGURES REACT
A grisly video of the incident appeared to show at least five people lying motionless on the ground, with legs twisted and heads bloodied.
"It was real chaos, people started running, screaming. There was a loud bang," eyewitness Ethan Spibey told Sky News.


Footage from reporters on the ground shows armed officers combing a market.
Albert Tort, a 47-year-old nurse who lives near Las Ramblas, told El Pais that what he saw at the scene was an "authentic disaster."
"Police would not let me go through but I identified myself as a nurse and I went in," he said. "What I saw was an authentic disaster. I counted at least 6 dead, I tried to revive a young [man] but it was impossible."
"I heard a lot of people screaming and then I saw the van going down the boulevard," another witness, Miguel Angel Rizo, said, "You can see all the bodies lying through Las Ramblas. It was brutal. A very tough image to see."
Barcelona resident Keith Fleming told the Associated Press he was watching television in his building on a side street just off Las Ramblas when he heard a noise and went out to the balcony to investigate.
Fleming said he saw "women and children just running and they looked terrified," he then heard a bang, possibly from someone rolling down a store shutter, as more people raced by.
The American living in the Spanish city said police arrived, and pushed everyone a full block down the street. He says the officers still are there with guns drawn and riot police stationed at the end of the block.
President Trump condemned the attack, saying in a tweet, "The United States condemns the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, and will do whatever is necessary to help. Be tough & strong, we love you!"

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The United States condemns the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, and will do whatever is necessary to help. Be tough & strong, we love you!
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Speaking from Panama, Vice President Pence called the day "tragic." He acknowledged that ISIS took credit for the attack, and said "whoever is responsible should know, together with our allies, we will punish those responsible" and rid "Islamic terror" from the world.
BARCELONA 'TERROR': TRUMP, STATE DEPARTMENT MONITORING SPAIN ATTACK
"This latest attack, the worst terror attack on Spanish soil since the 2004 Madrid train bombings, shows us again that radical Islamic terrorism is one of the greatest threats that we face today," Pence said.
"ISIS has taken credit for this barbaric attack, but whoever is responsible should know that the United States of America, together with our allies, will find and punish those responsible and drive the evil of radical Islamic terror from the face of the Earth."
Emergency services in Catalonia say they have asked the Metro and train services in the area to close. Police cordoned off the broad street and shut down its stores, and asked people to stay away from the area so as not to get in the way of the emergency services.
Facebook has activated its Safety Check feature that lets users notify friends and family that they are safe following the Barcelona attack.
Barcelona's tourism association has offered rooms in area hotels to tourists who have been displaced by ther attack.

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If you are a #USCitizen in #Barcelona and you are safe, please let family & friends know, including by updating your status on social media.
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The U.S consulate in Barcelona said on Twitter it was "aware of a reported incident at Las Ramblas in Barcelona. Please avoid the area and monitor local police @mossos for updates."
"Americans in Spain: If you are safe, be sure to notify friends and loved ones. If you use social media, be sure to update your status," the consulate tweeted.
The National Counterterrorism Center, the government hub for threat analysis, confirmed to Fox News the center is monitoring the events in Barcelona and note the use of a vehicle as a weapon.
TRUMP CONDEMNS BARCELONA TERROR, SAYS US 'WILL DO WHATEVER IS NECESSARY TO HELP'

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The Department of Homeland Security said Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke has been briefed on the situation. "DHS has reached out to Spanish authorities, and the Department is standing by to support our allies as they respond to and recover from this horrendous attack. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and those affected," the agency said in a statement.
On Twitter, the Department said those who need information on U.S. citizens in Spain, to call 888-407-4747 if in the U.S. or Canada.
Spain has been the target of numerous terror attacks in the last few years, drawing the attention of the U.S. State Department.
The attack was the country's deadlist since 2004, when Al Qaeda-inspired bombers killed 192 people in coorindated attacks on Madrid's commuter trains.
Since July 2016, vehicles have been used to ram into crowds in terror attacks across Europe, killing well over 100 people in Nice, Berlin, London, and Stockholm.
Las Ramblas is a packed tourist area in central Barcelona whose central feature is a broad promenade leading to the water. The stretch is lined with numerous shops, restaurants, a sprawling market and Gaudí architecture.
People walk down a wide, pedestrianized path in the center of the street, but cars can travel on either side of the area.
Fox News' Catherine Herridge, Lucia Suarez, Jake Gibson, Cody Derespina, James Rogers, Judson Berger, Michael Arroyo and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/08...na-attack.html

How the horror unfolded: Graphic shows how terrorists in a white van ploughed into tourists on one of Barcelona's most popular streets

By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 22:46 BST, 17 August 2017 | UPDATED: 00:17 BST, 18 August 2017


This graphic shows how the Barcelona terror attack unfolded. It started when a terrorist in a white van turned on to a pedestrianised part of Las Ramblas at around 5pm British time. At least 13 were killed and 100 injured.


How the horror unfolded: Graphic shows how terrorists in a white van ploughed into tourists on one of Barcelona's most popular streets

To continue to spread deranged islamics around the world is insanity.....

BARCELONA BASTARD STILL AT LARGE Manhunt for van driver who ploughed through Las Ramblas crowd killing 14 and injuring 100 as cops arrest third suspect and ISIS claim responsibilty

THE sick driver responsible for the twisted ISIS-claimed van attack in Barcelona yesterday which killed at least 14 people and injured 100, is still being hunted by Spanish cops.
Three suspects have been arrested – a Spanish national from Melilla and two Moroccans – but none are thought to have been steering the vehicle during yesterday’s massacre.

A woman helps the injured at the scene of a terror attack in Barcelona

Driss Oukabir claims his brother Moussa, pictured, stole his passport to rent the van

Two people pictured lying injured on the ground after the horrifying assault

A body covered with a foil blanket lying on the blood-splattered ground

Another victim is pictured lying face down next to a news stand in the busy area of the city


A third man was arrested in Ripoli, around 66 miles north of Barcelona, this morning.
The van involved in the deadly Las Ramblas attack was reportedly rented by a man named as Driss Oukabir. According to local media, Oukabir is a Spanish national of North African descent.
Oukabir, 28, handed himself to police in Ripoll, northern Catalonia, after seeing his face on news reports, according to Spanish media.
Local reports claim he told investigating officers his brother Moussa Oukabir, 18, stole his ID to rent the van and insists he had no part in the deadly attack. It is not known if Moussa Oukabir is the third arrest.
The crash van entered a pedestrian area at the junction of Las Ramblas and Placa Catalunya at around 5pm local time on Thursday and ploughed into a sea of shoppers and tourists.
The rampaging vehicle zigzagged through the Las Ramblas area mowing down innocent people prompting terrified families to run for their lives.

Disturbing footage and pictures from the scene show bodies scattered around the blood-splattered ground of the tourist hotspot as armed cops quickly responded to the emergency.
At least 18 nationalities are among the victims, Spain's civil protection agency said - including German, Belgian and Argentinian.
Twenty-six of the injured are French citizens, the country's Foreign Ministry confirmed, with 11 in a serious condition.
The ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq has said that “soldiers” of the brainwashed death cult carried out the attack.
The propaganda outlet said via messaging app Telegram: "The executors of the Barcelona attack were soldiers of the Islamic State.”

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• WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR
• At 5pm on Thursday, a white Fiat van ploughed into a crowd in tourist hotpot Las Ramblas in Barcelona
• At least 14 people were killed and 100 more injured as the driver mowed down innocents along a 500m stretch of the packed pedestrian area
• The driver then fled the carnage on foot and is still believed to be on the run
• Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the van attack was a result of 'jihadist terrorism' and ISIS has since claimed responsibility
• At least three men have been arrested in connection with the attack including Driss Oukabir - a 28-year-old Moroccan who is believed to have rented the van.His brother Moussa Oukabir, 18, stole his ID.
• Victims are from 24 countries, with one Belgian national confirmed to have died. Twenty-six of the injured are French, three are Italian and a seven-year-old Australian boy is feared to be among the victims
• Eight hours later, seven people were injured and five terrorists killed in a second terror attack in Cambrils - 68 miles from Barcelona
• Jihadists wearing fake suicide vests rammed an Audi A3 into pedestrians and were gunned down by police when the car flipped
• Officials are linking the attacks with an explosion that killed one person at a house 124 miles away from Las Ramblas on Wednesday

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Las Ramblas reopened this morning, with residents and tourists allowed past police lines back to their homes and hotels.
Police closed down the city centre in a bid to catch the driver last night.
A demonstration and minute's silence honoring the victims will be held at the Plaza Catalunya, next to the top of the Ramblas, at midday.
A senior police official in Barcelona last night said the rampage was "clearly a terror attack, intended to kill as many people as possible."
The driver of the rented Fiat van, registration 7082 JWD, ran away from on foot after the smash.
Investigators also found a SECOND van 70km away in the town of Vic that they believe is connected with the attack.
Cops ordered shops and cafes in the area to shut and are still searching for a man between 5ft 5in and 5ft 6in dressed in blue and white striped clothes.
The end of Las Ramblas close to Barcelona's beach was reportedly turned into a makeshift "field hospital" after the attack.


Armed cops were seen storming La Boqueria open air market

Dozens of armed cops pictured patrolling the Catalan city
<br>https://clips.news.co.uk/thesun/Z4c3...Omk2OjBrO6qGv_

A huge explosion at a house in a town outside Barcelona on Wednesday is related to the Las Ramblas terror rampage, cops said.
One person died and seven others were injured, one of them seriously, in the blast at a home in the town of Alcanar.
Firefighters believe a build-up of gas caused the explosion which destroyed the home, while authorities found about 20 butane and propane gas bottles at the scene.
The van tragedy came hours before a second "terrorist attack" in Cambrils - a seaside town popular with Brits around 70 miles south of Barcelona.
Seven people were injured when five jihadis wearing fake suicide belts rammed an Audi A3 into pedestrians.
All five attackers were shot dead by police and their vests were detonated by the Catalan police force's bomb squad.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/426524...atest-updates/

BARCELONA BASTARDS
Barcelona attack – Evil gang of ‘thirteen drugged-up Moroccans who recently returned from Syria plotted double rampages that left 14 dead in Spain’ – as baby-faced jihadi ‘who hired van in brother’s name’ is arrested

The gang of fanatics massacred 14 people and injured 130 more in two separate attacks in Spain yesterday.

By Neal Baker, Ellie Flynn, Gemma Mullin, Sam Webb and Mark Hodge 18th August 2017, 3:45 pm
Updated: 18th August 2017, 5:37 pm

A TERROR cell of thirteen “drugged up” Moroccans are thought to be behind the double terror attacks that rocked Spain yesterday.

The gang of fanatics massacred 14 people and injured 130 more when they ploughed a van into crowds on Barcelona’s famous Las Ramblas and a car into crowds in tourist resort Cambrils later the same night.



The white van driver is still being hunted by police
A scene of horror as police evacuate the area in response to the van attack

Two people pictured lying injured on the ground after the horrifying assault

A graphic showing the sequence of the depraved van attack in Barcelona

Four people have now been arrested in connection with the atrocities - including the baby-faced "jihadi" whose older brother accused him of stealing his ID to hire the van that mowed down crowds.

They have been named as Moussa Oukabir, 18, Salid Aallaa, 18, Mohamed Hychami, 2, and Younes Abouyaaqoub, 22.

The group are thought to be known as the Tarragona Cell, a gang of jihadis who have recently returned from Syria.

Spanish cops now believe the cell behind the atrocities could be as big as 15 people, according to El Confidencial.

Among those being investigated are said to be five members of the Oukabir family.
Driss, 28, whose name the van was rented in, reportedly turned himself in after seeing his face on TV.

It has been reported he denied blame and told investigating officers his brother Moussa, 17, stole his ID.

The brothers, their father Said, and two of their other siblings – including a 16-year-old girl – are being probed over their involvement, El Confidencial reports.
A neighbour of the family today described Moussa Oukabir as "a normal, nice boy".
The five attackers gunned down by cops in Cambrils are also presumed to be among the 15.
El Pais, quoting police sources, reports that driver of the Rambla attack van is one of the terrorists who was gunned down.
Police have now said one of that group could have been the driver of the van which killed 13 people in Barcelona.
The first crash van entered a pedestrian area at the junction of Las Ramblas and Placa Catalunya at around 5pm local time on Thursday and ploughed into a sea of shoppers and tourists.

---

• WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR
• 
  
  • At 5pm on Thursday, a white Fiat van ploughed into a crowd in tourist hotspot Las Ramblas in Barcelona
  • At least 13 people were killed and 130 more injured as the driver mowed down innocents along a 500m stretch of the packed pedestrian area
  • The driver then fled the carnage on foot and a manhunt was launched
  • Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the van attack was a result of 'jihadist terrorism' and ISIS has since claimed responsibility
  • At least four men with no background in terrorism have been arrested in connection with the attack including Driss Oukabir - a 28-year-old Moroccan who is believed to have rented the van. His brother Moussa Oukabir, 17, stole his ID and is suspected to be the van driver
  • Victims are from 34 countries. A seven-year-old British boy is feared to be among the victims as Theresa May says she is "urgently" looking into reports
  • Eight hours later, one person was killed and seven injured after five terrorists carry out second terror attack in Cambrils - 68 miles from Barcelona
  • Jihadists wearing fake suicide vests rammed an Audi A3 into pedestrians and were shot dead by police when the car flipped
  • One of the five terrorists, who were armed with knives and axes, killed in Cambrils could have been the driver of the van which killed 13 people in Barcelona
  • Officials are linking the attacks with an explosion that killed one person at a house 124 miles away from Las Ramblas on Wednesday as it emerges the terrorists could have been part of a cell involving eight to 12 people
  
  

---

The rampaging vehicle zigzagged through the Las Ramblas area mowing down innocent people prompting terrified families to run for their lives.
Disturbing footage and pictures from the scene show bodies scattered around the blood-splattered ground of the tourist hotspot as armed cops quickly responded to the emergency.
At least 18 nationalities are among the victims, Spain's civil protection agency said - including German, Belgian and Argentinian.
Twenty-six of the injured are French citizens, the country's Foreign Ministry confirmed, with 11 in a serious condition.
The ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq has said that “soldiers” of the brainwashed death cult carried out the attack.

The propaganda outlet said via messaging app Telegram: "The executors of the Barcelona attack were soldiers of the Islamic State.”

A suspect is arrested in Ripoll, Spain, after yesterday's double terror attacks
Raids in Ripoll, Spain, after terror attacks yesterday

Las Ramblas reopened this morning, with residents and tourists allowed past police lines back to their homes and hotels.
Police closed down the city centre in a bid to catch the driver last night.
A demonstration and minute's silence honoring the victims will be held at the Plaza Catalunya, next to the top of the Ramblas, at midday.
A senior police official in Barcelona last night said the rampage was "clearly a terror attack, intended to kill as many people as possible."
The driver of the rented Fiat van, registration 7082 JWD, ran away from on foot after the smash.
Investigators also found a SECOND van 70km away in the town of Vic that they believe is connected with the attack.
Cops ordered shops and cafes in the area to shut and are still searching for a man between 5ft 5in and 5ft 6in dressed in blue and white striped clothes.
The end of Las Ramblas close to Barcelona's beach was reportedly turned into a makeshift "field hospital" after the attack.


Another victim is pictured in the shopping district with blood splattered on the ground

Aerial photos show injured people lying on the road in Las Ramblas

Graphic scenes as the injured receive basic treatment from stunned witnesses

Injured victims being treated on the ground in Las Ramblas

Armed cops pictured in the Catalan capital Police locked down the Las Ramblas in the hours after the attack



Emergency workers pictured near a dead body in the Spanish city


Witnesses work to tend to the injured in the aftermath of the van horror
56

Around 100 people were injured in the van rampage through Barcelona's Las Rambla's tourist district


A sea of ambulances pictured near where the twisted mass killing took place
Scared people pictured with their arms raised being evacuated from the area following the van assault

The scene in Sant Just Desvern where a man was reportedly shot and killed by cops

People pictured hiding in shops during the police operation in Barcelona
Terrified people are guided to safety by brave officers

Forensic police officers search for clues near the area where the van attack took place


Dozens of armed cops pictured patrolling the Catalan city

Barcelona's Mayor Ada Colau (C) and officials arrive in the Las Rambla area following the deadly attack
Horrifying scene of multiple people lying injured on the ground in Las Ramblas after terror attack
Marc Esparcia, a 20-year-old student who lives in Barcelona, told the BBC: "There was a loud noise and everybody ran for cover.
"There were a lot people, lots of families [at the site], this is one of the most visited sites in Barcelona.
"I think several people were hit. It was horrible, there was panic. Terrible."
Barcelona FC wrote in a statement: "Our hearts are made smaller by this attack. Sending strength and love to the victims, their families and the citizens of Barcelona".
A local festival planned for last night was cancelled in response to the slaughter.

Police speed along Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain following terror attack


Terrified people being evacuated from the busy tourist hotspot in Barcelona
A man pictured carrying a small child following the deadly assault which left more than a dozen dead
An injured victim is carried away by emergency workers
The van ploughed down the busy street smashing into terrified shoppers
A man is given medical treatment on the ground by emergency workers
Armed cops swooped on the area quickly and evacuated thousands of scared tourists and shop workers
he van attack is the latest ISIS-claimed assault in which a vehicle was used as a weapon

'Multiple deaths and injuries' after white van mounted pavement and struck several people in Las Ramblas district of Barcelona
Steve Garrett was in a nearby market and sheltered in a bakery with several others after streams of people ran inside.
One member of the group, who took refuge with him, said she had heard gunshots after the incident.
Mr Garrett told the BBC: "A very large number of people ran into the market area in a big kind of way, lots of screaming, lots of shouting.
"The security guards immediately responded. We ran into the bakery with four or five other people and ran straight upstairs and hunkered down whilst an enormous wave of people went through the market.
"Obviously coming from England it was reminding me a great deal of what happened in London, so we were very concerned about what might be going on next.
"The lady that was with us said she heard some gunshots."
Mr Garrett said a "second wave" of people then entered the market, followed by armed police.
He said: "They seemed to sweep through the market area. They seemed to be looking for someone. They were going very carefully, very cautiously, stall to stall."

First responders rush to help the injured in the Barcelona terror attack
Bodies are pictured lying on the ground in the Las Ramblas area
Another body covered by a foil blanket is checked by an investigator
Young people run down the street amid the chaos of the depraved van assault
The popular tourist-filled city resembled a war zone after the terror attack

An armed officer pictured beside dozens of people near the scene of the attack in Barcelona

New video of people fleeing the scene of white van crash in Barcelona
Eyewitness Aamer Anwar, human rights lawyer, told Sky News: "I did not see the van mount the pavement. I heard the crash.
"People started screaming and everybody ran in the opposite direction.
"The shopkeeper we spoke to said a van had mounted the pavement and driven into a crowd and at least five or six people, he thought, were very seriously injured."
Ada Colau, the President of Catalonia, the autonomous Spanish state where Barcelona is the capital, has cancelled her holiday and is returning to the city.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the van attack was "jihadist terrorism" which required a global response.
He told a news conference in Barcelona: "Today the fight against terrorism is the principal priority for free and open societies like ours. It is a global threat and the response has to be global."
The prime minister says the residents of Paris, Nice, Brussels, Berlin and London "have experienced the same pain and uncertainty that those of Barcelona suffer today."
In a written statement, British Prime Minister Theresa May said: "I am sickened by the senseless loss of life in Barcelona today.
"The Foreign Office is working to establish if any British nationals were involved in this appalling incident and we are in close contact with the authorities in Spain, who have our full support.
"Following the attacks in Manchester and London, Spain stood alongside the British people. Tonight, Britain stands with Spain against the evil of terrorism."
President Donald Trump tweeted: "The United States condemns the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, and will do whatever is necessary to help. Be tough & strong, we love you!"

Injured people are helped by others after the twisted ISIS-claimed assault
Panicked people are pictured running through the streets of the Catalan capital

VEHICLES have become the weapon of choice for terrorists in Europe with automotive violence striking several countries since last summer.
Stretching from the Mediterranean to Scanidnavia innocents have been mown down in the streets as the vile attacks sweep the continent.
Since last summer there have been vehicle attacks in:

• Nice - 14 July 2016
• Berlin - 19 December 2016
• London - 22 March 2017 (Westminster Bridge) 3 June 2017 (London Bridge)
• Stockholm - 7 April 2017
• Barcelona - August 17

The van tragedy came hours before a second "terrorist attack" in Cambrils - a seaside town popular with Brits around 70 miles south of Barcelona.
Seven people were injured when five jihadis wearing fake suicide belts rammed an Audi A3 into pedestrians.
All five attackers were shot dead by police and their vests were detonated by the Catalan police force's bomb squad.


People gather in the Las Ramblas area waiting for updates from authorities
Rex Features
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Tourists pictured leaving the Catalan city
Holidaymakers in Barcelona wait outside their hotel, which has been placed in lockdown, in Las Ramblas
The British Foreign Office guidance for Spain reads: "Terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Spain.

"Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners.
"Spanish police have disrupted a number of groups suspected of recruiting individuals to travel to Syria and Iraq from 2015 to the present date.

"Some of them expressed an intention to carry out attacks in Europe.
"There’s a heightened threat of terrorist attack globally against UK interests and British nationals from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria."

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https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/426524...atest-updates/

Barcelona attack: Government says terror cell dismantled

• 1 hour ago 8/1917
  
  

• The terror cell behind the attack in Barcelona that left 13 people dead has been dismantled, Spain's Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido says.
  Younes Abouyaaqoub, 22, has emerged as the main suspect in the Barcelona attack.

"The cell has been fully dismantled in Barcelona, after examining the people who died, the people who were arrested and carrying out identity checks," he told a news conference.

But the regional Catalan government said there could be further arrests.

A key suspect linked to the Barcelona attack and a later one is still sought.

Thursday's attack in the Catalan capital saw a van driven at high speed along Las Ramblas - the pedestrianised avenue popular with tourists and residents alike.

Spanish police are searching for Moroccan-born Younes Abouyaaqoub, 22, who they suspect may be the driver who escaped the scene on foot.
Only hours later, early on Friday, there was a second van attack in Cambrils, west of Barcelona.

A woman was killed and police shot dead five suspected attackers, including Moussa Oukabir, 17, originally reported as the key suspect in the Barcelona attack.

Oukabir is suspected of using his brother's documents to rent the van used in Barcelona and another found hours later in the town of Vic, north of Barcelona, that was intended as a getaway vehicle.
The terror cell is reported to comprise 12 men. The Catalan Interior Minster, Joaquim Forn, stressed that the police operation could not be considered over until all those suspected of being part of the cell were in custody.
Police say the suspects had been planning more sophisticated attacks, but an explosion on Wednesday at a house in the town of Alcanar deprived them of bomb material, so they carried out simpler attacks using vehicles.Abouyaaqoub lived in the town of Ripoll to the north of Barcelona. Three people have been arrested in Ripoll, and one in Alcanar.

In Ripoll the apartment of an imam was raided on Saturday.

Another van, a Renault Kangoo, is also being sought, amid reports it may have been driven across the border into France.

Security is being stepped up, though the security alert level is staying unchanged as there is no information suggesting an imminent attack.

Special police controls were introduced at Saturday's two La Liga football matches in Barcelona and Girona.

American honeymooner killed in BarcelonaWho are the suspects?

So-called Islamic State (IS) said it had carried out the Las Ramblas attack, though it is not clear whether any of the attackers were directly connected to the group or simply inspired by it.
Image caption (L-R) Moussa Oukabir, Said Aallaa, Mohamed Hychami and Younes Abouyaaqoub

• Killed: Five suspected jihadists shot dead by police in Cambrils - Moussa Oukabir, 17; Said Aallaa, 18; Mohamed Hychami, 24; two unnamed men
• Arrested: Three in the town of Ripoll - Driss Oukabir, 28, the brother of Moussa, who turned himself in saying his documents had been stolen to rent vehicles used in the Las Ramblas attack; Sahal el-Karib, 34; Mohammed Aallaa, 27; one unnamed person in Alcanar, following the house explosion there on Wednesday
• Hunted: Younes Abouyaaqoub, now suspected to be the driver in the Las Ramblas attack

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What do we know about the victims?

Image copyright Vancouver Police Image caption Ian Moore Wilson, pictured with his wife Valerie, is the latest named fatality from Las Ramblas Five of the dead have been named so far:

• American Jared Tucker, 43
• Canadian Ian Moore Wilson
• Spaniard Francisco López Rodríguez, in his 60s
• Italian Bruno Gulotta, 35
• Italian Luca Russo, 25

A 74-year-old Portuguese woman, a 40-year-old woman with dual Argentine and Spanish citizenship, and a Belgian were also killed, their governments said.

The whereabouts of seven-year-old Julian Cadman, a dual British-Australian national apparently separated from his injured mother during the attack, remains unclear. He was widely reported to be missing.

However, the Catalan police, responding to inquiries, tweeted that they had neither been looking for nor found any missing child. The victims and the injured had all been located, they said.

Catalan emergency services gave a new breakdown of the injured on Saturday:

• Barcelona attack: 12 critical, 24 serious, 11 less serious, 3 minor
• Cambrils attack: 1 serious, 2 less serious, 1 minor

More on the victims

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Timeline of events

• Alcanar, Wednesday evening: An explosion rips through a house in the small town, 200km south of Barcelona. One person dies. Police chief Josep Lluis Trapero said it appeared the residents at the house had been "preparing an explosive device". A Catalan government official says a cell may have intended to use gas canisters in the Las Ramblas attack
• Barcelona, Thursday 16:50 (14:50 GMT): A white Fiat van drives down Las Ramblas in central Barcelona, killing 13 people and injuring scores. The driver flees on foot
• Vic, Thursday 18:30: Police find a second van, thought to be a getaway vehicle, in the town, 80km north of Barcelona
• Sant Just Desvern, Thursday 19:30: A car is driven towards officers at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Barcelona. They open fire. A man is later found dead in the passenger seat of the car with stab wounds. The dead man is not linked to the Las Ramblas attack, officials say, but investigations are ongoing. One theory is that the car was stolen and the man was killed by the carjacker, who is still at large
• Cambrils, Friday 01:00: A second vehicle attack takes place in the resort south of Barcelona. Police kill five terrorist suspects said to be linked to the Las Ramblas attack. They include Moussa Oukabir, 17, initially thought to be the Las Ramblas attacker. Police later say another man, Younes Abouyaaqoub, is being hunted.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40988081



Finland knifeman 'targeted women'

Barcelona attack: Spain terror cell had 120 gas canisters

• 4 minutes ago 8/20/17

A 12-strong terror cell that carried out two attacks in Spain this week had collected 120 gas canisters and was planning to use them in vehicle attacks, Spanish police say.

Canisters were found at a house said to be used by the cell that blew up in the town of Alcanar on Wednesday night.

Police are still hunting for the driver of the van that hit dozens of people on Barcelona's Las Ramblas, killing 13.

On Sunday, a Mass was held in Barcelona to mourn the victims.
In addition to the 13 killed on Thursday afternoon on Las Ramblas, a woman died in a second vehicle attack early on Friday in the town of Cambrils. Five suspected jihadists were shot dead by police in the second attack.

Catalan police chief Josep Lluis Trapero has given an update on the investigation.

He said the cell was still believed to consist of 12 men and had been planning attacks for more than six months. One person remained at large, four were under arrest and there were two sets of human remains to be identified, he added.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40990927 clip at link - There was a special Mass at the Sagrada Familia church for the victims

The person at large was the driver of the van, Mr Trapero said, adding that police knew his identity but would not reveal it.
But police have confirmed they are hunting Moroccan-born Younes Abouyaaqoub, 22, who Spanish media say was the driver.

The two sets of remains to be identified may refer to victims of the house explosion at Alcanar.

Spanish media have speculated the two may be Youssef Aallaa, the brother of one of the suspected jihadists killed at Cambrils, and Abdelbaki Es Satty, an imam from the town of Ripoll, north of Barcelona, where a number of the suspects are from.

The imam apparently left the mosque abruptly in June and has not been seen since. The mosque president said he had told him he wanted to go back to Morocco.

video clip at link - anti immigrant protest -What is the mood in Barcelona?

"We're starting to see clearly that [the Alcanar house] was the place where they were preparing explosives for one or more attacks in the city of Barcelona," Mr Trapero said.

He added: "We are not in a position to say what caused the radicalisation of these people."

Mr Trapero said police could not rule out that the suspect still at large had crossed the French border, although he had "no specific information on this".

The father of two of those shot dead by police in Cambrils, Mohamed and Omar Hychami, told the BBC he was devastated. Hecham Igasi also accused the imam of radicalising his sons.

It is now known that three vehicles were rented under the credit card of Younes Abouyaaqoub.

One was used in the Las Ramblas attack, another was found after the attack in the town of Vic and a third in Ripoll.

Mr Trapero said the cell had planned to fill all three with explosive material to carry out attacks.

On Sunday, King Felipe and Queen Letizia attended Barcelona's Sagrada Familia to mourn those killed in the attacks

Some reports in Spanish media say the jihadist cell had intended to target the iconic, Gaudi-designed church with explosives.

Cardinal Juan José Omella, the Archbishop of Barcelona, called for peace and unity, saying: "We will overcome fear."

He read a message from Pope Francis, which said the pontiff "condemns once again the violence, which is a very grave offence against the creator, and he prays to God for help so we can continue working for peace and harmony in the world".

As the debate about possible Catalan independence continues, Cardinal Omella added: "The union makes us strong, the division corrodes us and destroys us."

• Where attacks leave Catalan independence

Later on Sunday, Barcelona FC will hold their first league game of the season, with 100,000 expected at the Camp Nou, where there will be a minute's silence. Police have warned spectators to expect stepped up security, including a ban on bringing large bags.

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http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40990927

Barcelona attack: Van driver shot dead by police

• 54 minutes ago 8/21/17

A witness near a petrol station tipped off police

Spanish police have shot dead the main suspect in last Thursday's Barcelona attack, Younes Abouyaaqoub.

Police believe he was the driver of a van which careered down the Las Ramblas avenue, killing 13 and injuring more than 100 others.

He was killed some 25 miles (40km) west of Barcelona near a petrol station following a tip off.

Abouyaaqoub, wearing a fake explosive belt, is reported to have shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is Greatest").

An extensive manhunt was already under way when police closed in on the Subirats area, close to Sant Sadurní d'Anoia.

Bomb disposal officers went to the scene and used a robot to examine the fake explosive belt. This led to some delay before Abouyaaqoub could be officially identified.

The Catalan police said the operation was still under way and Cadena Ser radio reported that an extensive search was continuing for another man and a van.

Local residents described seeing some 20 police cars heading for the scene and helicopters circling.

Police said the investigation was still international in scope.
At an earlier news conference, police described how after the Barcelona attack, Abouyaaqoub made his escape on foot to the outskirts of the city where he hijacked a car.

CCTV footage in Spanish media appears to show him walking through a market district shortly after the attack.

Some 90 minutes after driving down Las Ramblas, Abouyaaqoub fled to the city's university district, police said.

He hijacked the car before driving it through a police checkpoint and later abandoning the vehicle.
Image copyright Catalan police/El Pais The male driver of the car, Pau Pérez, 34, from Vila Franca, was found stabbed to death in the back seat. Police named him as the 15th victim of the Barcelona bloodshed and a later attack in the resort of Cambrils.

A woman died in Cambrils when a car was driven into pedestrians and five suspected jihadists were killed at the scene by police early on Friday.

Police have also confirmed that an imam suspected of radicalising the young men who carried out the attacks died in an explosion on Wednesday at a house in Alcanar, south of Barcelona, that was being used as a bomb factory.

The remains of one other person found at the house are still being examined.

The terror cell behind the attacks was 12 strong. Police say eight suspects are now dead and four are in custody.

The group had apparently been planning three co-ordinated attacks using home-made bombs, but were thwarted by the Alcanar blast. Police found about 120 gas canisters at the Alcanar site.


Family members of the dead suspects said they believed Imam Es Satty had radicalised several young people in their home town of Ripoll, north of Barcelona.

Spanish media outlets say he had spent some time in prison, and had met prisoners involved or linked with the 2004 Madrid train bombings in which 191 people died.

He had also stayed in Belgium for some three months last year, where he had been searching for work, including in Vilvoorde, a small town of 42,000 people from which more than 20 jihadists departed for Syria in 2014.

An official who works on de-radicalisation in Belgium has told the BBC that Es Satty tried to secure a post at a mosque near Brussels but the elders decided he should not be allowed to preach due to his "radicalised and polarising" approach.

The mosque asked police to perform a background security check but this did not throw up any specific areas of concern.

Catalan officials said that all 15 victims had now been identified and their families notified.

So-called Islamic State (IS) said it had carried out the Las Ramblas and Cambrils attacks, though it is not clear whether any of the attackers were directly connected to the group or simply inspired by it.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41004603