Drivers ploughed into pedestrians in quick succession, in separate attacks in Barcelona and another popular Spanish seaside city, killing 14 people and injuring more than 100. In the first incident, which has been termed a “terrorist attack,” the driver of a white van sped into a street packed full of tourists in central Barcelona on Thursday afternoon, knocking people out of the way and leaving 13 dead.
The Spanish police shot and killed five people carrying bomb belts who were connected to the Barcelona van attack.
Live updates:
4.30 pm: Police say death toll in Spain attacks rises to 14 after woman injured in seaside resort dies.
3.30 pm: Thousands holding minute of silence in Barcelona’s main square for attack victims, attended by Spain’s king and Prime Minister.
King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, along with Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont, stood in front of the crowd in Placa de Cataluyna during the remembrance. The participants then broke into applause before the crowd chanted repeatedly- “I am not afraid! I am not afraid!”
Spain's King Felipe VI (2ndL), Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy (L), President of Catalonia Carles Puigdemont (2ndR) and Barcelona's mayor Ada Colau wait prior to observing a minute of silence for the victims of the terror attacks.
2.45 pm: World stocks skid as US politics, Spain attack hit sentiment. Investors shied away from riskier investments following the latest attack to hit Europe.
2.15 pm: Catalonia’s regional president says that there is at least one “terrorist still out there”. He adds that “we don’t have information regarding the capacity to do more harm.”
Meanwhile, German politicians agreed to call off election campaigning for the day in the aftermath of the attacks. They said that the decision was made “as a sign of solidarity for those people affected in Spain”.
1.30 pm: Catalan police says that the five suspects killed in Cambrils had plowed down pedestrians in their car and wore fake bomb belts.
Catalonia’s interior minister, Joaquim Forn, tells Onda Cero radio that the suspects in Cambrils were driving in an Audi 3 and began plowing down people when they reached a populated area near the boardwalk. He says that the suspects were wearing fake bomb belts. He adds that the belts were very well made, and that authorities only determined they were phony after a controlled explosion.
12.41 pm: Barcelona’s Ramblas walkway has quietly reopened to the public. The walkway was closed on Thursday evening by the city police.
A demonstration that will include a minute of silence honoring the victims has been announced by public officials for Friday afternoon at the Plaza Catalunya, next to the top of the Ramblas, where the deadly attack began.
12.41 pm: Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi condemns the attack in Barcelona, and extends his condolences to the families of those killed.
In his statement, Mr. Abbasi said that such terrorist attacks cannot scare the brave Spanish people.
12.36 pm: Danish authorities confirm that there are two Danes among those “lightly wounded”.
12.23 pm: Catalonia authorities say that three suspects have been arrested in connection with the Barcelona van attack.
12.10 p.m: France's Interior Minister Gerard Collomb says that no links have been found connecting those suspected of carrying out Thursday's attack in Barcelona to France.
11.10 a.m.: Twenty-six French citizens were injured in Barcelona attack, of which eleven are in serious condition, said a statement from French Foreign Ministry.
7.30 a.m.: Police say fifth suspect shot and wounded in Cambrils has died.
6.45 a.m.: Six civilians and one police officer were hurt when a car drove into people in the Spanish seaside resort of Cambrils on Friday morning, the regional government informed, just hours after a similar deadly attack in nearby Barcelona.
Police shot four of the attackers dead and injured another one, saying they were "working on the hypothesis that the terrorists shot dead in Cambrils could be linked to what happened in Barcelona."
3.30 a.m.: The police force says it is working on the theory that the Cambrils suspects were linked to the Barcelona attack, as well as to a Wednesday night explosion in the town of Alcanar in which one person was killed.
2.30 a.m.: The Catalan regional government said citizens from 24 countries were among the people killed and injured during the Barcelona van attack.
2.15 a.m.: Jordi Laparra, a 55-year-old physical education teacher and Barcelona resident, said it initially looked like a terrible traffic accident.
“At first I thought it was an accident, as the van crashed into 10 people or so and seemed to get stuck. But then he maneuvered left and accelerated full speed down the Ramblas and I realized it was a terrorist attack. He zigzagged from side to side into the kiosks, pinning as many people as he could, so they had no escape,” she says.
2:00 a.m.: A taxi driver who witnessed the attack, said the white van suddenly jumped the curb and sped down the central pedestrian area at a high speed for about 500 yards (457 meters), veering from side to side as it targeted people, reports AP .
Previous attacks in Spain
Spain was hit by what is still Europe's deadliest jihadist attack in March 2004, when bombs exploded on commuter trains in Madrid, killing 191 people in an attack claimed by Al Qaeda-inspired extremists.
In July 2015, a hooded attacker opened fire outside a hotel in downtown Barcelona near Las Ramblas boulevard, leaving two people injured, police said. No suspected motive for that attack was given.
1:45 a.m.: The police force for Spain’s Catalonia region says a car knocked down two police officers at a traffic checkpoint in Barcelona.
The Mossos d’Esquadra force did not indicate if the incident was related to the van attack in the city’s Las Ramblas district on Thursday that left 12 people dead and dozens injured.
Barcelona police later said in a tweet that the car and its driver were intercepted about 10 kilometers outside of the downtown area where the original attack happened.
Local media reports said a white Ford Focus ran over the officers and that a person from the car was shot and killed by regional troopers.
Neither the city nor regional police have said whether a suspect was shot.
1:30 a.m.: Police say bomb squad checking area in Barcelona outskirts near where driver of car who struck police officers located.
1:25 a.m.: One Belgian national was killed in Thursday's van attack in Barcelona, the country's foreign minister Didier Reynders said on Twitter.
He told Belgian media that the victim was a woman. "I offer my condolences to her family and loved ones," Mr. Reynders tweeted.
1:20 a.m.:
IS claims responsibility
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the van attack in Barcelona that officials say killed 12 people and injured many others.
A statement carried by the extremist group’s media arm the Aamaq news agency says Thursday’s attack was carried out by “soldiers of the Islamic State.”
It says the attack was in response to IS calls for its followers to target countries participating in the coalition trying to drive the extremist group from Syria and Iraq.
The statement provided no further details about the attackers.
1:00 a.m.:
Two arrested
Catalonia's regional head said on Thursday that Spanish police had arrested two people after a van drove into crowds in Barcelona city's centre.
At least 80 people have been hospitalized and around 12 have died, Carles Puigdemont told a news conference. It was still not clear how many attackers had been involved in the incident.
Puigdemont said people had been flocking to hospitals in Barcelona to give blood.
Barcelona's mayor, Ada Colau, said the city would hold a minute of silence on Friday at midday.
12:20 a.m.:
Toll rises to 13
A regional government official in Spain says 13 people have been killed in the van attack at a historic shopping and tourist area of Barcelona.
Catalan Interior Minister official Joaquim Forn also said on Twitter that more than 50 people were injured during Thursday’s attack.
Regional police now are evacuating stores and bars in the Las Ramblas district.
The move came right after police announced they had arrested one suspect and were “treating him as a terrorist.”
August 18, 2017 | 12:15 a.m.:
Nations condemn attack
French President Emmanuel Macron and Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel have condemned the attck.
The office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned the "revolting attack" in Barcelona. "We are thinking with profound sadness of the victims of the revolting attack in Barcelona -- with solidarity and frienship alongside the Spanish people," tweeted spokesman Steffen Seibert.
"We remain united and determined," Mr. Macron said on Twitter, describing it as a "tragic attack" and saying his thoughts were with the victims.
The Spain royals have also condemned the attck. "They won't terrorise us."
11:55 p.m.:
Official toll is one
A man was arrested over an attack in Spain's popular seaside city of Barcelona that saw a van plough through a street packed with pedestrians, killing at least one person and injuring over 30 others, police said Thursday.
"We arrested a man and we are treating this as a terrorist attack," police in the Spanish region of Catalonia, where Barcelona is located, tweeted. They added that no one was holed up in any bar of central Barcelona, denying what a police source had earlier said.
11:40 p.m.:
Indians safe
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has said there are no reports of Indians affected in the attack. "I am in constant touch with Indian Embassy in Spain As of now, there is no report of an Indian casualty," she tweeted.
The Indian Embassy in Spain can be contacted at +34-608769335.
11:30 p.m.:
Terrorist attack, say police
Police in Spain have confirmed they are investigating the van incident in Barcelona as a terror attack, while local media reports say that up to 13 people have been killed.
Catalan police said- “We confirm the terrorist attack. The protocol for terrorist attacks has been activated.”
Media outlets, including Cadena SER radio station and TV3, are reporting up to 13 dead. Other reports had varying death tolls. An official death toll has not been issued.
11:15 p.m.: A person suspected of driving a van into pedestrians on one of the busiest streets of Barcelona on Thursday was holed up in a bar, a Spanish police source said.
"One of the attackers is holed up in a bar," said the source, who declined to be named, adding that police were looking for a total of two suspects over the attack which has left at least two people dead.
11:10 p.m.: A second van linked to an attack in Barcelona on Thursday has been found in the small town of Vic in Catalonia, local authorities there said on Twitter.
Police had cordoned off the area and were inspecting the vehicle, the city council said. Another van earlier mowed down crowds in a busy district in central Barcelona, killing at least 13 people according to local media.
11:00 p.m.: A government official in Barcelona says one person has been confirmed dead and 32 others injured in the van attack in the city’s historic Las Ramblas district.
Catalonia’s regional interior chief Joaquim Forn said during a news conference on Thursday- “Unfortunately the number of fatalities will likely rise.”
Media in Barcelona are reporting that up to 13 died in the attack. Barcelona police said on Twitter that 10 of the 32 people injured were seriously hurt.
A van mounted a sidewalk in the popular tourist area of Las Ramblas, slamming into a crowd of pedestrians on Thursday afternoon.
10:35 p.m.
Trump condemns attack
The White House says President Donald Trump has been alerted to the unfolding situation in Barcelona.
Chief of staff John Kelly is aware of the developments and is keeping the president informed.
Mr. Trump is on a working vacation at his private golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. His wife, first lady Melania Trump, sent her “thoughts and prayers” to Barcelona via Twitter.
Police in Spain have confirmed fatalities after a van slammed into pedestrians in Barcelona’s historic Las Ramblas district.
10:23 p.m. Police in Spain have confirmed they are investigating the van incident in Barcelona as a terror attack, while local media reports say that up to 13 people have been killed.
A van slammed into pedestrians on Thursday in Barcelona’s historic Las Ramblas district, which is normally packed at the height of the summer tourist season.
Catalan police said- “We confirm the terrorist attack. The protocol for terrorist attacks has been activated.”
Media outlets, including Cadena SER radio station and TV3, are reporting up to 13 dead. Other reports had varying death tolls.
An official death toll has not been issued.
10:05 p.m. Barcelona resident Keith Fleming says 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.
The American living in the Spanish city says 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.
Fleming says- “It’s just kind of a tense situation....”Clearly, people were scared.”
10:30 p.m. Police in Spain have confirmed there are fatalities after a van slammed into pedestrians in Barcelona’s historic Las Ramblas district.
Catalan police tweeted that “there are mortal victims and injured from the crash” without specifying numbers. The Barcelona-based La Vanguardia newspaper is reporting at least one dead and 20 injured.
A van jumped the sidewalk in Barcelona’s iconic Las Ramblas area, slamming into pedestrians. At least five were seen lying on the ground on the popular tourist street.
El Pais newspaper, citing unnamed police sources, says the two perpetrators are holed up in a bar in central Barcelona. Various local media reports have called it a terror attack, but authorities haven’t officially confirmed it.
9:50 p.m. Spain’s El Pais newspaper says that Barcelona police are treating the van crash as a terror attack.
Authorities say a van mounted a sidewalk in the iconic Las Ramblas area of Barcelona, slamming into a crowd of pedestrians. Local media reports say there are several injured.
El Pais newspaper, citing unnamed police sources, also reported that the perpetrators are holed up in a nearby bar. Some local media have reported bursts of gunfire.
Barcelona police, in a tweet, told people to stay away from the center of the city because of a “large contingent of security forces and emergency services” deployed in the area.
9:40 p.m. Spain’s El Pais newspaper, citing police sources, says the two perpetrators of the van crash in Barcelona are holed up in a bar.
A van mounted a sidewalk in the popular tourist area of Las Ramblas in Barcelona, slamming into a crowd of pedestrians. Local media say several people have been injured in the crash.
Barcelona police, in a tweet, told people to stay away from the center of the city because of a “large contingent of security forces and emergency services” deployed in the area.
9:15 p.m. A white van jumped the sidewalk in Barcelona’s historic Las Ramblas district on Thursday, crashing into a summer crowd of residents and tourists and injuring several people, police said.
In a photograph shown by public broadcaster RTVE, three people were lying on the ground in the street of the northern Spanish city Thursday afternoon, apparently being helped by police and others. Videos of the scene recorded people screaming as they fled.
Police cordoned off the broad, popular street, ordering stores and nearby Metro and train stations to close. They asked people to stay away from the area so as not to get in the way of emergency services. A helicopter hovered over the scene.
9:10 p.m. Police in the northern Spanish city of Barcelona say a white van has jumped the sidewalk in the city’s historic Las Ramblas district, injuring several people.
In a photograph shown by public broadcaster RTVE, three people were lying on the ground in the street Thursday afternoon and were apparently being helped by police and others.
Police cordoned off the broad street and shut down its stores. They asked people to stay away from the area so as not to get in the way of the emergency services. A helicopter hovered over the scene.
Las Ramblas, a street of stalls and shops that cuts through the center of Barcelona, is one of the city’s top tourist destinations. People walk down a wide, pedestrianized path in the center of the street, but cars can travel on either side.
9:05 p.m. Police in the northern Spanish city of Barcelona say a white van has jumped the sidewalk in the city’s historic Las Ramblas district.
They say on their Twitter account that several people are possibly injured.
In a photograph shown by public broadcaster RTVE, three people were lying on the ground in the street and were apparently being helped by police and others.
Police cordoned off the broad street and shut down its stores
9:00 p.m. Police in the northern Spanish city of Barcelona say a white van has jumped the sidewalk in the city’s historic Las Ramblas district.
Police say on their Twitter account there are possibly several injured.
The El Pais newspaper said several people were left lying on the ground. Police cordoned off the street and shut down its stores.
