ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

13 dead in Barcelona van attack, 5 suspects killed in counterterrorism operation hours later

The Barcelona police say the crash on Las Ramblas, which they are calling a terrorist attack, killed multiple people.

null
  • ISIS has reportedly claimed responsibility for an attack where a van plowed into a crowd in a busy square in Barcelona, Spain, on Thursday, with the police reporting 13 deaths
  • The police are calling the incident a terrorist attack and have arrested two suspects
  • Police killed five suspected attackers during a counterterrorism operation in Cambrils, south of Barcelona, early Friday morning. Police said they believe the attackers may be linked to the van attack.

Police have two suspects in custody after a van crashed into a crowd of pedestrians in a tourist-heavy district killing at least 13 on Thursday in Barcelona, Spain, Catalan President Carles Puigdemont said.

The Catalan police are calling the earlier incident in Barcelona a terrorist attack and have confirmed at least 13 deaths and over 100 injuries. At least 18 nationalities are among the attack victims, authorities said. In a message on ISIS' news service, the terror group claimed responsibility for the attack, though authorities have yet to confirm a link.

Police initially said the van connected to the attack was rented by a man named Driss Oukabir, reportedly a Moroccan citizen living in France legally. El Pais, a Spanish-language newspaper, said Oukabir turned himself into police, claiming he had nothing to do with the attack and that his ID was stolen and planted near the scene.

ADVERTISEMENT

It's unclear whether the police have identified additional suspects in the crash. The police dismissed reports from multiple outlets that two armed men had barricaded themselves in a bar near the site of the crash as rumors, though officers were still apparently conducting door-to-door searches as the area around the crash site remained on lockdown for hours.

Five alleged attackers were killed in a separate counterterrorism operation in the town of Cambrils, about 90 minutes south of Barcelona, early Friday morning. Catalan police said they believe the suspects in Cambrils were linked to the Barcelona van attack and a house explosion in the town of Alcanar that happened on Wednesday. Police confirmed Moussa Oukabir, a key suspect in the attack, was one of the attackers killed, reports the BBC.

Reuters, citing police sources, said a second van linked to the crash was found in a small town outside Barcelona. The news agency noted earlier reports from local media suggesting that a second van may have been rented as a getaway vehicle.

A driver of a different vehicle ran over two police officers at a checkpoint in Barcelona, The Associated Press reports, though it's not clear whether this was related to the earlier attack. Associated Press reports that the driver was killed in a shootout with the police.

ADVERTISEMENT

Authorities cited by Reuters said a house explosion hours before the van attack killed one person in Alcanar, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) southwest of Barcelona. Officials say the incident may be connected. The Telegraph reported that police found 20 canisters of butane and propane gas among the rubble.

The police said the chaos in Barcelona started when a white van mounted a sidewalk on Plaza de Catalunya, a popular square in Barcelona. The Spanish-language newspaper El País said the driver of the van fled on foot after "mowing down" dozens of people.

"There's a very heavy police presence and what they've been doing is going from establishment to establishment knocking on the doors, knocking on the shutters," John Ward, a resident of Las Ramblas, a pedestrian-heavy street near Plaza de Catalunya, told the BBC. "Now nobody is moving on La Ramblas unless they're under police escort."

"All of a sudden, I just sort of heard a crashing noise and the whole street just started to run, screaming," Aamer Anwar, who was walking on Las Ramblas at the time of the crash, told Sky News. "I saw a woman right next to me screaming for her kids." Other witnesses said the van zigzagged in a way suggesting the driver was trying to hit as many people as possible.

ADVERTISEMENT

"Police were very, very quickly there, police officers with guns, batons, everywhere," Anwar said. "Then the whole street started getting pushed back."

"Police officers who got there just started screaming at people to move back, move back," Anwar added.

Another witness, Steven Turner, told the BBC he saw "three or four people lying on the ground" after the van "rammed" into people.

"There are lots of ambulances and armed police with assault rifles around now," Turner added.

ADVERTISEMENT

The White House has said its chief of staff, John Kelly, is aware of the situation and is updating President Donald Trump. The US Consulate is warning people to avoid the area.

"The United States condemns the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, and will do whatever is necessary to help," Trump tweeted. "Be tough & strong, we love you!"

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said at a press conference that terrorists would be "brought to justice."

"Terrorists around the world should know — the United States and our allies are resolved to find you and bring you to justice," Tillerson said, adding that US nationals in Barcelona should check in with their families.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy Brey tweeted that he was "in touch with all authorities" and said the "priority is to attend to the wounded and facilitate the work of first responders and police." Brey later declared a three-day mouring period in observance of the attack.

ADVERTISEMENT

Pope Francis and French President Emmanuel Macron have also expressed support for Barcelona and the victims of the attack.

Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau said on Twitter: ""

Catalan emergency services have asked to close public transportation in the area of the crash, and they are asking people to stay out of the area.

Vehicles have been used to crash into crowds in attacks inspired by the Islamic State terrorist group across Europe since July 2016, killing dozens of people in London, Stockholm, Berlin, and Nice, France. According to The Telegraph, the US Central Intelligence Agency warned Spanish police two months ago that Las Ramblas was a potential target for a terror attack.

The Spanish National Police have asked bystanders not to share photos of the crash out of respect for the victims, but some have still been spreading on social media:

ADVERTISEMENT

#BreakingNews Van strikes p... @ Manoj Gupta

Total panic - we are all ge... @ Aamer Anwar

Terrorism attack confirmed ... @ Mossos

SKY NEWS: First footage fro... @ Josh Caplan

A van drove into a crowd in... @ BuzzFeed News

ADVERTISEMENT

Terrifying footage out of #... @ Anna Ahronheim

Omg at Las Ramblas the poli... @ Eric Castellarnau

La @barcelona_GUB busca al ... @ Alfonso Congostrina

Related content

This is a developing story.

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng

Recommended articles

Here's everything to know about being a virgin on your wedding night

Here's everything to know about being a virgin on your wedding night

7 do's and don’ts of the Holy month of Ramadan

7 do's and don’ts of the Holy month of Ramadan

Top 5 sweetest celebrity mother-child relationships that stand out for us

Top 5 sweetest celebrity mother-child relationships that stand out for us

International Women's Day: 5 Nigerian female celebrities championing women’s rights

International Women's Day: 5 Nigerian female celebrities championing women’s rights

Top 5 female directors in Nollywood

Top 5 female directors in Nollywood

6 things that will break a Muslim's fast during Ramadan

6 things that will break a Muslim's fast during Ramadan

5 benefits of fasting during Ramadan

5 benefits of fasting during Ramadan

5 reasons Easter was more fun when we were children

5 reasons Easter was more fun when we were children

Dos and don’ts of supporting Muslims during Ramadan

Dos and don’ts of supporting Muslims during Ramadan

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT