At least 13 people were killed and dozens injured after a van rammed through crowds of people in the heart of Barcelona in attack Prime Minister calls ‘jihadi terrorism’.
At least 13 people were killed and more than 100 injured after a van rammed through crowds in the heart of Barcelona on Thursday, in what the Spanish Prime Minister described as an act of « jihadi terrorism. »
With the country on edge and the driver of the van on the loose, authorities in a coastal city southwest of Barcelona reported an incident early Friday that was being treated as a possible terror attack.
Catalan police tweeted that four terrorists were killed early Friday in Cambrils and a fifth person is in police custody. Authorities said there is an ongoing police operation, but the situation is under control.
Six civilians were injured, two of them seriously, Catalonia emergency officials said.
Cambrils is a coastal city about 115 kilometers southwest of Barcelona.
Catalan police said they are « working under the hypothesis that the terrorists taken down in Cambrils were related to the events that took place in Barcelona » and another city.
LIVE UPDATES: The latest information from the Barcelona terror attack
The attack in Barcelona produced scenes of panic and chaos as the van plowed down the renowned Las Ramblas avenue in the early evening. Authorities said of the 80 people taken to hospitals, 15 were seriously hurt. The perpetrator disappeared.
« The driver abandoned the van and escaped from the area, » Catalan Police Chief Josep Lluis Trapero said.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy spoke of his grief and offered condolences to the families of the victims.
« I want to also express my solidarity with all of Spain to the city of Barcelona, today hit by jihadi terrorism, like other cities have been in the world. » Rajoy said
Two arrests, one deadly explosion
Two suspects — one from Morocco, one from the Spanish enclave of Melilla — were arrested, Trapero said.
One suspect was arrested in Alcanar, around 200 kilometers (120 miles) southwest of Barcelona.
In an incident in that city that Trapero said is connected to the attack, one person was killed in an explosion at a house. But Trapero didn’t say whether the arrest and explosion were tied to each other.
He did say the victim is Spanish and was not on police radar.
The other suspect was arrested in Ripoll, about 110 kilometers (68 miles) north of Barcelona and 300 kilometers (186 miles) from Alcanar.
Information about most of the victims has not been released, but one Belgian was killed in the attack, Belgian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jose de Pierpont said.
READ: Barcelona attack witness saw people ‘flying into the air’
Barcelona officials ordered all public events to be canceled, and metro and train stations in the area were closed.
Reports of the incident emerged on social media about 5 p.m. (11 a.m. ET) . Photographs and videos showed people fleeing the area. About two hours later, police confirmed a terror attack.
It was the latest in a series of attacks in Europe in which vehicles have been used to mow down pedestrians in public spaces. More than 100 people have died in similar attacks in Berlin, London and Nice.
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ISIS’ media wing, Amaq, said the perpetrators of the Barcelona attack were « soldiers of the Islamic State. » However, ISIS has not explicitly claimed responsibility.
Catalan police said they were continuing to hunt for the perpetrators and that the force had activated its terror response protocols. Unconfirmed reports suggested the suspects may have been attempting to reach a getaway vehicle.
Catalan police later tweeted that a driver had run over two police officers at a security checkpoint in Barcelona and that the driver had been found near the city. The two officers suffered minor injuries and did not need hospital treatment, police said. It was unclear whether that incident was related to the terror attack.
Local Spanish media earlier reported that two armed men had entered a restaurant. But Catalan police dismissed rumors the attacker had been holed up near Las Ramblas and said there « was never a hostage situation. »
As the incident unfolded, police told everyone in the vicinity of Plaça de Catalunya and Las Ramblas to remain indoors until told it was safe to go outside. Footage posted to social media by witnesses showed chaotic scenes with people lying in the street, apparently dead or injured.
READ: Las Ramblas: First terror attack in Spain for years
Witness reports gunshots
One witness told local media the situation was « very tense » and that all surrounding shops were being evacuated. The witness said at least eight ambulances were at the scene. Emergency services said the area had been cordoned off and all public transportation stopped.
Another witness who was hiding in a shop nearby heard gunshots, according to state-run broadcaster TVE24. A third said he saw a van driving « around 80 » kph, or 50 mph. He said « there is no doubt it was intentional, » according to TVE24.
Ali Shirazinia, who was cycling alongside Las Ramblas at the time, told CNN he heard « a lot of screams » and saw the crowds of people split along the busy promenade.
READ: Barcelona attack witness saw people ‘flying into the air’
Then he heard what sounded like the driver flooring the accelerator and saw a white van with blue markings come hurtling down the street. « It literally came right down the Ramblas and ran into people on every side, » he said.
« The Ramblas is full of pedestrians, street merchants, street performers, and I saw people flying into the air and everyone was running into the shops on either side of the Ramblas, a lot of people were shocked. »
Tourist Susan McClean told CNN she saw a « tidal wave » of people running away from Las Ramblas after the incident.
She ducked into a nearby shop and the shutters were pulled down while police sped toward the scene.
« There was clearly a lot of distress, » she said.
McClean said she returned to her hotel one street away after leaving the shop.
Government officials respond
The Catalan regional government said it was holding an emergency meeting to discuss the incident.
The Catalan emergency services urged people via Twitter to avoid going out or undertaking any other type of movement that is not « strictly necessary » to facilitate police operations.
The Spanish royal family tweeted: « They are assassins, simply criminals who are not going to terrorize us. All of Spain is Barcelona. Las Ramblas will return to be everyone’s. »
The Union of Islamic Communities of Catalonia expressed « condemnation and repulse » for the Barcelona attack.
« Faced with this criminal fact, the union of Islamic communities in Catalonia reiterates its full commitment to the fight against any type of terrorism, and it is expected that those responsible for these attacks may be detained and brought before the courts as early as possible, » its statement said.
