Police said a key suspect in attacks in Catalonia that killed at
least 14 people and injured scores was killed in a shootout with
authorities. Police are probing the link between the strikes and an
explosion in Alcanar.
Thousands of Barcelona residents gathered at Placa de Catalunya to
honor the victims of the deadly attacks on Friday, with Spanish King
Felipe VI and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy joining a minute of silence.
Rajoy said Catalonia was "today hit by jihad terrorism like other cities
have been throughout the world." He announced three days of national
mourning.
The crowd defiantly shouted that they were "not afraid" in the wake of the attacks.
Later on Friday, a few dozens of far-right protesters gathered near the attack site, holding up signs saying "Stop Islamization of Europe." Several hundreds of counter-protesters were also gathered at the scene, jeering the far-right event. The smaller group was eventually removed by the police.
Click here to see how events unfolded in the Catalonia attacks
Who are the suspects?
Spanish police are still searching for the driver of the van which rammed into pedestrians at the Las Ramblas thoroughfare in Barcelona. Authorities believe the deadly incident was organized by a "large group." Officials have not commented on Spanish media reports that the driver was Moussa Oukabir, a 17-year-old who was later killed by police in Cambrils.
Police have arrested four suspects over the attack, including Driss Oukabir, Moussa's older brother who was identified by the Spanish media as a French national with Moroccan background. Other reports indicated that a Spanish citizen and three Moroccans were among the arrested. None of the suspects have known terror links, according to the police. At least one of them has been linked to the rented van used in Barcelona.
Police identified two more of the Moroccan suspects killed in Cambrils as Said Aallaa, 18, and Mohamed Hychami, 24. Police said they were also still searching for other suspects, including Younes Abouyaaqoub, aged 22.
Read more: Resilient Barcelona stands up against fear
The authorities said they were trying to track down Driss Oukabir's brother, Moussa, but did not confirm media reports who identified him as the driver of the van. Police searched the brothers' apartment in the northern town of Ripoll on Friday morning.
Other suspects were reportedly still on the loose. Police also killed five suspected jihadists after the attack in Cambrils.
Who are the victims?
Fourteen people were killed and at least 125 injured in the attacks, including people from at least 34 nations. France's foreign ministry said 28 of its citizens were among the injured and eight were in serious condition. Spain's El Pais newspaper reported three of the dead were German nationals.
Although the German government has not confirmed any fatalities, the Foreign Ministry in Berlin did say on Friday that 13 of its citizens were wounded in the attack - "some of them so serious that they are still fighting for their lives."
Read more: Merkel: Barcelona terrorists showed 'contempt for humanity'
Rome meanwhile gave a statement saying that two Italian citizens had been killed. One was 35-year-old Bruno Gulotta, who was killed in front of his wife and two young children according to a statement from his employer.
At least one American, one Belgian, one Canadian, and one Portuguese citizen were also confirmed killed.
Catalonian emergency services said the victims came from at least 34 different countries. Morocco said three of its citizens were injured.
What happened at Las Ramblas?
On Thursday, a white van zigzagged down Barcelona's Las Ramblas thoroughfare at 4:15 p.m. (1615 UTC), striking pedestrians strolling along the busy tourist district. At least 13 people were killed, and 120 injured, including 17 who remain in critical condition. The driver fled on foot.
"It was clearly a terror attack, intended to kill as many people as possible," Josep Lluis Trapero, a senior police official for Spain's Catalonia region told reporters.
Read more: Las Ramblas - Barcelona's tourist magnet now a scene of terror
There may be other persons who "collaborated in other aspects of the attack, including its preparation," Trapero said.
What happened in Cambrils?
Eight hours after the rampage, police shot and killed five suspects attempting to carry out a similar vehicle ramming attack in the seaside town of Cambrils, 120 kilometers south of Barcelona. The attackers used a blue Audi A3 car.
Read more: Barcelona attack is about sowing hatred
A woman died from her injuries, and five civilians and a police officer were injured when the vehicle rammed into pedestrians, prompting a police patrol to unleash a hail of gunfire. Some of the assailants were armed with knives and axes and wearing fake explosive belts, authorities said. Authorities speculated that the driver of the van from Barcelona might have been killed with four other suspects in the shootout.
Cambrils mayor Cami Mendoza praised the "speed and efficiency" of the police response that prevented what could have been a much more bloody attack.
What is the link with Alcanar?
Catalonia's interior minister, Joaquim Forn, said early Friday that attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils were linked. There may also be a connection with an explosion in the town of Alcanar that killed one person on Wednesday. Before the ramming attacks, police treated the Alcanar incident as a random gas blast.
"We suspect that they (the occupants) were preparing an explosive device," Josep Lluis Trapero of Catalonia's police department.
Josep Lluis Trapero of Catalonia's police department.
"They were preparing one or several attacks in Barcelona and an explosion in Alcanar stopped this as they no longer had the material they needed to commit attacks of an even bigger scope," he added.
The plot has been in motion for "some time," according to the officials.
The IS claim has yet to be verified by the authorities. The group often claims credit for terror attacks even when it plays to no direct role in organizing or carrying out attacks.
If the IS claims are confirmed, it would be the latest attack inspired or directed by the terror outfit in Europe over in the past two years. A number of those attacks, including in Nice, Berlin, London and Stockholm, used similar simple vehicle attacks that authorities and experts say are nearly impossible to prevent.
Spain, the world's third biggest tourism destination, is no stranger to terrorism by jihadists and Basque separatists. Bomb attacks carried out by al-Qaeda on Madrid commuter trains in 2004 left 191 people dead in Europe's bloodiest terror attack.
What are the reactions from abroad?
World leaders roundly condemned the attack, with US president Donald Trump tweeting that "Islamic Terrorism must be stopped."
Read more: Barcelona attacks drew diverse reactions
Germany's Angela Merkel said the attackers acted with "contempt for humanity," while Pope Francis sent his condolences to the Barcelona cardinal, expressing "sorrow and pain," and adding that the attacks gravely offend God. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II offered her sympathies to Spain's Felipe VI. The British monarch said it was "deeply upsetting when innocent people are put at risk in this way when going about their daily lives."
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The crowd defiantly shouted that they were "not afraid" in the wake of the attacks.
Later on Friday, a few dozens of far-right protesters gathered near the attack site, holding up signs saying "Stop Islamization of Europe." Several hundreds of counter-protesters were also gathered at the scene, jeering the far-right event. The smaller group was eventually removed by the police.
Click here to see how events unfolded in the Catalonia attacks
Who are the suspects?
Spanish police are still searching for the driver of the van which rammed into pedestrians at the Las Ramblas thoroughfare in Barcelona. Authorities believe the deadly incident was organized by a "large group." Officials have not commented on Spanish media reports that the driver was Moussa Oukabir, a 17-year-old who was later killed by police in Cambrils.
Police have arrested four suspects over the attack, including Driss Oukabir, Moussa's older brother who was identified by the Spanish media as a French national with Moroccan background. Other reports indicated that a Spanish citizen and three Moroccans were among the arrested. None of the suspects have known terror links, according to the police. At least one of them has been linked to the rented van used in Barcelona.
Police identified two more of the Moroccan suspects killed in Cambrils as Said Aallaa, 18, and Mohamed Hychami, 24. Police said they were also still searching for other suspects, including Younes Abouyaaqoub, aged 22.
Read more: Resilient Barcelona stands up against fear
The authorities said they were trying to track down Driss Oukabir's brother, Moussa, but did not confirm media reports who identified him as the driver of the van. Police searched the brothers' apartment in the northern town of Ripoll on Friday morning.
Other suspects were reportedly still on the loose. Police also killed five suspected jihadists after the attack in Cambrils.
Who are the victims?
Fourteen people were killed and at least 125 injured in the attacks, including people from at least 34 nations. France's foreign ministry said 28 of its citizens were among the injured and eight were in serious condition. Spain's El Pais newspaper reported three of the dead were German nationals.
Although the German government has not confirmed any fatalities, the Foreign Ministry in Berlin did say on Friday that 13 of its citizens were wounded in the attack - "some of them so serious that they are still fighting for their lives."
Read more: Merkel: Barcelona terrorists showed 'contempt for humanity'
Rome meanwhile gave a statement saying that two Italian citizens had been killed. One was 35-year-old Bruno Gulotta, who was killed in front of his wife and two young children according to a statement from his employer.
At least one American, one Belgian, one Canadian, and one Portuguese citizen were also confirmed killed.
Catalonian emergency services said the victims came from at least 34 different countries. Morocco said three of its citizens were injured.
What happened at Las Ramblas?
On Thursday, a white van zigzagged down Barcelona's Las Ramblas thoroughfare at 4:15 p.m. (1615 UTC), striking pedestrians strolling along the busy tourist district. At least 13 people were killed, and 120 injured, including 17 who remain in critical condition. The driver fled on foot.
"It was clearly a terror attack, intended to kill as many people as possible," Josep Lluis Trapero, a senior police official for Spain's Catalonia region told reporters.
Read more: Las Ramblas - Barcelona's tourist magnet now a scene of terror
There may be other persons who "collaborated in other aspects of the attack, including its preparation," Trapero said.
What happened in Cambrils?
Eight hours after the rampage, police shot and killed five suspects attempting to carry out a similar vehicle ramming attack in the seaside town of Cambrils, 120 kilometers south of Barcelona. The attackers used a blue Audi A3 car.
Read more: Barcelona attack is about sowing hatred
A woman died from her injuries, and five civilians and a police officer were injured when the vehicle rammed into pedestrians, prompting a police patrol to unleash a hail of gunfire. Some of the assailants were armed with knives and axes and wearing fake explosive belts, authorities said. Authorities speculated that the driver of the van from Barcelona might have been killed with four other suspects in the shootout.
Cambrils mayor Cami Mendoza praised the "speed and efficiency" of the police response that prevented what could have been a much more bloody attack.
What is the link with Alcanar?
Catalonia's interior minister, Joaquim Forn, said early Friday that attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils were linked. There may also be a connection with an explosion in the town of Alcanar that killed one person on Wednesday. Before the ramming attacks, police treated the Alcanar incident as a random gas blast.
"We suspect that they (the occupants) were preparing an explosive device," Josep Lluis Trapero of Catalonia's police department.
Josep Lluis Trapero of Catalonia's police department.
"They were preparing one or several attacks in Barcelona and an explosion in Alcanar stopped this as they no longer had the material they needed to commit attacks of an even bigger scope," he added.
The plot has been in motion for "some time," according to the officials.
Who is behind it?
The
so-called "Islamic State" (IS) claimed its "soldiers" carried out the
Barcelona attack in response to the US-led military campaign targeting
the group in Syria and Iraq.The IS claim has yet to be verified by the authorities. The group often claims credit for terror attacks even when it plays to no direct role in organizing or carrying out attacks.
If the IS claims are confirmed, it would be the latest attack inspired or directed by the terror outfit in Europe over in the past two years. A number of those attacks, including in Nice, Berlin, London and Stockholm, used similar simple vehicle attacks that authorities and experts say are nearly impossible to prevent.
Spain, the world's third biggest tourism destination, is no stranger to terrorism by jihadists and Basque separatists. Bomb attacks carried out by al-Qaeda on Madrid commuter trains in 2004 left 191 people dead in Europe's bloodiest terror attack.
What are the reactions from abroad?
World leaders roundly condemned the attack, with US president Donald Trump tweeting that "Islamic Terrorism must be stopped."
Germany's Angela Merkel said the attackers acted with "contempt for humanity," while Pope Francis sent his condolences to the Barcelona cardinal, expressing "sorrow and pain," and adding that the attacks gravely offend God. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II offered her sympathies to Spain's Felipe VI. The British monarch said it was "deeply upsetting when innocent people are put at risk in this way when going about their daily lives."
Source