Spain terror attacks: 13 killed and 100 injured – as it happened
The apparent terrorist attack in Barcelona underlines three harsh lessons learned by security services – and the general public – over recent months and years. The first is that the use of vehicles as weapons is now an established tactic by extremists, one of the dozen or so employed in the last two decades that should be considered a standard part of the terrorist arsenal. In the last 13 months there have been similar attacks in France, Germany, Sweden and the UK. A woman was killed by a car driven at speed by a rightwing extremist in the US last week in slightly different circumstances. The precise motivation and the identity of the Barcelona attackers will become clear in the next few hours. Islamic State has claimed responsibility on its Amaq news agency, though in recent months such claims have become highly unreliable. Individuals close to Isis and active on social media have been celebrating the attack, but this does not necessarily indicate a direct connection between the attacker or attackers and the group. Tactics spread among militants when they are seen to work. There is no skill needed to drive a vehicle into a crowd, nor any difficulty involved in obtaining one. This makes a car, van or lorry an ideal weapon for today’s terrorists, who are often inspired by a group but are not actually part of it, and for the most part, lack the training and means necessary for more complex attacks.
Timeline of terror in Spain: how the Barcelona and Cambrils attacks unfolded
The horrific events in Barcelona and across Catalonia, which saw 13 killed in a van attack, and then five suspected terrorists shot dead in a second incident on the coast, appear to have begun the night before in a small town 200km south of Barcelona. Wednesday night, Alcanar An explosion at a house in the tiny town of Alcanar, 200km south of Barcelona, and the southernmost point of Catalonia, kills one person and wounds 16. Senior police official Josep Lluis Trapero says the blast was related to the van attack in Barcelona, and that those in the house were attempting to “prepare an explosive device”. Police say the blast is the result of an accumulation of gas, but do not release further details. Most injuries occur after firefighters and police officers are caught by a second blast while investigating the initial explosion. Thursday, 5pm, Barcelona A white Fiat van veers off the road and into a crowd outside the Plaça de Catalunya metro station, killing 13 people and injuring about 100. The driver continues down the pedestrian boulevard of Las Ramblas, a popular tourist destination, for more than 500 metres before stopping and fleeing on foot. The smashed van is left at the foot of a mosaic by artist Joan Miro. 6.30pm, Vic In the town of Vic, 80km north of Barcelona, police find a second van, presumed to be a getaway vehicle. Police say the van was hired at the same time as the Fiat used in the attack. The driver and perpetrator of the Las Ramblas attack remains on the run. 7pm, ‘terrorist protocol’ Catalan police confirm they are dealing with a terrorist attack. On Twitter they say they have “activated the terrorist attack protocol” for the region. 7.30pm, Sant Just Desvern A man is killed when he attempts to drive through a police roadblock in the town of Sant Just Desvern, on the outskirts of Barcelona. Initial reports say he died from police gunfire after running over two officers, leaving one with a broken leg. An official at the time ruled out a connection to the attack in Las Ramblas. However on Friday morning, the Catalan interior minister Joaquim Forn contradicted earlier reports, saying the man died of knife wounds not inflicted by police. He said a connection to the other attacks could no longer be ruled out. 8pm, suspect arrested Police confirm one suspect, Driss Oukabir, has been arrested after turning himself in. The 28-year old Moroccan-born Spanish resident is identified from documents left at the scene. But Oukabir says his passport and ID were stolen, and that he played no part in the attack. Oukabir is arrested in the northern Catalan town of Ripoll, 110km from Barcelona. He tells police he came forward after he saw his name and image being circulated in the media. Newspaper El Pais says Oukabir, or someone with his ID, rented the Fiat van used in the attack. 9pm, Isis emerges Islamic State claims responsibility for the attack. Using the group’s Amaq news agency, Isis claims the perpetrators of the attack are “soldiers of the Islamic State”, but this has not yet been verified. Isis claims of responsibility do not necessarily mean there is a direct connection between attackers and the terrorist group. 9.30pm, second suspect arrested A second unnamed suspect is confirmed as arrested, according to Catalonia’s regional president, Carles Puigdemont. According to police official Josep Lluis Trapero, the second man was born in the Spanish territory of Melilla in northern Morocco, and was arrested in Alcanar, the site of Wednesday’s house explosion. Friday, 1am, Cambrils Police kill four alleged terrorists, and injure one, after they commit a second attack in the coastal town of Cambrils, 120km south of Barcelona. Police say the attackers drove an Audi A3 car into pedestrians, injuring six civilians and one police officer. The Associated Press reports that police said attackers were wearing what appeared to be explosive belts.
4am, injury toll The injured suspect in Cambrils dies, bringing the death toll to five. Police say one of the injured civilians is in a critical condition and is in hospital. Catalan interior minister Joaquim Forn contradicts earlier reports about the roadblock in Sant Just Desvern. He says the man, who was the owner of the car, was not driving and was in the passenger seat. He was not killed by police but rather, was stabbed to death. Forn said a connection to the other attacks was a possibility, and that a hunt was underway to find the person who drove the car to the roadblock. 8.30am, third arrest Catalonian police say they have arrested a third suspect in connection with the attacks, in Ripoll, where Driss Oukabir had been arrested on Thursday.
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