Spain hit by two terrorist attacks
Two suspected terrorist attacks have occurred in the Catalonia region of Spain less than eight hours apart from each other. The first saw a white van drive down the popular pedestrianised tourist spot of Las Ramblas, Barcelona, whilst the second happened in the seaside town of Cambrils.
At 16:15, a van entered the pedestrianised zone of Las Ramblas, swerving as it sped down the boulevard to hit pedestrians. It came to a halt 540 metres down the road after hitting a kiosk. Authorities say that 13 people died in the attack, while over a 100 more sustained injuries. Three men believed to have been linked to the attack have been arrested, but it is suspected that the driver of the van is still at large. The French foreign ministry has said that 26 of its citizens are among the injured, while it has been reported in the Spanish media that of the 13 dead, three are German and one is Belgian. There are thought to be victims from over 20 nationalities among the casualties. So-called Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, but it has not been verified whether this is true.
Around eight hours after this initial attack a similar incident occurred in Cambrils, which is located 110 kilometres (68 miles) south-west of Barcelona when a car was driven into pedestrians. Six civilians were injured before nearby police were able to shoot and kill all five men that had been in the car. Some of the attackers appeared to be wearing belts of explosives, but after police carried out controlled explosions on the devices, they were deemed to be fake. The two attacks are believed to be linked.
The UK Foreign Office has urged travellers to follow the advice of local security. It has also told travellers that, if caught up in an incident, they should put their phones on silent and turn off location tracking. It has said that it will be keeping travellers updated as the situation develops. British Airways has encouraged any travellers wishing to leave the city early to contact them: “Customers due to travel to or from Barcelona in the coming days are being offered a range of options if they wish to bring forward or postpone their journey, and we encourage anyone with concerns about their booking to contact us or their travel agent to discuss their travel plans,” said a spokesperson.
Barcelona’s Mayor has announced that there will be a minute’s silence held in the city’s main square to show that the city is not scared after the attack.