Van ploughs through crowd in Barcelona, killing about 12

webfact · August 17, 2017

Van ploughs through crowd in Barcelona, killing about 12

By Pilar Suarez and Andrés González

A still image from video shows a police cordon on a street in Barcelona, Spain following a van crash August 17, 2017. REUTERS TV via REUTERS

BARCELONA (Reuters) - A van mowed through crowds of tourists on Barcelona's most famous avenue on Thursday, killing about a dozen people in an attack that was claimed by Islamic State.

The head of the Spanish region of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, said at least 80 people had been taken to hospital and around 12 had died.

He said two people had been arrested. It was still not clear how many attackers had been involved.

Witnesses said the white van zigzagged at high speed down Las Ramblas, a busy avenue thronged with tourists, knocking down pedestrians and leaving bodies strewn across the ground.

Police and emergency services attend to injured persons at the scene after a van crashed into pedestrians near the Las Ramblas avenue in central Barcelona, Spain August 17, 2017, in this still image from a video obtained from social media. Courtesy of @Vil_Music/via REUTERS

Islamic State's Amaq news agency said: "The perpetrators of the Barcelona attack are soldiers of the Islamic State and carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting coalition states" - a reference to a U.S.-led coalition against the Sunni militant group.

The claim could not immediately be verified.

If the involvement of Islamist militants is confirmed, it would be the latest in a string of attacks in the past 13 months in which they have used vehicles to bring carnage to the streets of European cities.

That modus operandi - crude, deadly and very hard to prevent - has killed well over 100 people in Nice, Berlin, London and Stockholm.

Witness Tom Gueller told the BBC: "I heard screams and a bit of a crash and then I just saw the crowd parting and this van going full pelt down the middle of the Ramblas and I immediately knew that it was a terrorist attack or something like that.

"It wasn't slowing down at all. It was just going straight through the middle of the crowds," he added.

It was the deadliest attack in Spain since March 2004, when Islamist militants placed bombs on commuter trains in Madrid, killing 191 people and wounding more than 1,800.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Twitter he was en route to Barcelona. "Maximum coordination to arrest the attackers, reinforce security and attend to all those affected," he said.

The Spanish royal household said on Twitter: “They are murderers, nothing more than criminals who are not going to terrorise us. All of Spain is Barcelona. Las Ramblas will go back to being everyone’s.”

U.S. President Donald Trump said: "The United States condemns the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, and will do whatever is necessary to help."

He added: "Be tough & strong, we love you!"

BODIES ON THE GROUND

La Vanguardia newspaper said one of the suspected perpetrators had been killed in a shootout with police on the outskirts of Barcelona, but this was unconfirmed.

Catalan police said a driver ran over two police officers at a checkpoint in Barcelona after the van attack, but it was not clear if the incidents were linked.

Mobile phone footage showed several bodies strewn along the Ramblas, some motionless. Paramedics and bystanders bent over them, treating them and trying to comfort those still conscious.

Around them, the boulevard was deserted, covered in rubbish and abandoned objects including hats, flip-flops, bags and a pram.

Belgium's foreign minister said a Belgian was among the dead.

Regional head Puigdemont said people had been flocking to hospitals in Barcelona to give blood.

Holidaymaker Ellen Vercamm told El Pais newspaper: "We saw a white van collide with people. We saw people going flying."

A witness named Rebecca told La Vanguardia: "I've seen a lot of people knocked down on the floor and the people are running and crying. The van drove down the middle of the street dragging everyone with it."

TOURIST DRAW

The incident took place at the height of the tourist season in Barcelona, which is one of Europe's top travel destinations with at least 11 million visitors a year.

French President Emmanuel Macron, whose nation has suffered some of Europe's deadliest militant attacks in recent years, tweeted: "All my thoughts and France's solidarity to the victims of the tragic attack in Barcelona."

A Vatican spokesman said Pope Francis was praying for the victims and wanted to express his closeness to all Spanish people, especially the victims and their families.

Authorities in Vic, a small town outside Barcelona, said a van had been found there in connection with the attack. Spanish media had earlier reported that a second van had been hired as a getaway vehicle.

Barcelona is the capital of the wealthy northeastern region of Catalonia, which plans to hold a popular vote on Oct. 1 on whether it should secede from Spain. It is in dispute with the central government, which says the vote cannot go ahead because it is unconstitutional.

Following the attack, security staff at Barcelona airport suspended a strike that started in early August. "Our work is now more necessary than ever," a spokesman said.

(Reporting by Angus Berwick, Sarah White, Julien Toyer and Madrid newsroom; Alissa de Carbonnel in Belgium; Ali Abdelaty and Ahmed Aboulenein in Cairo; Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Alison Williams and Nick Tattersall)

webfact · August 17, 2017

Two armed men entrenched in Barcelona bar after van crash - Spanish media

MADRID (Reuters) - Two armed men have entrenched themselves in a bar in Barcelona's city centre after a van mowed down dozens of people, El Periodico newspaper reported on Wednesday.

El Periodico reported gunfire in the area of La Boqueria Market, although it did not cite the source of the information.

It was not immediately clear that the men were the drivers of the van.

(Reporting by Madrid newsroom,; Writing by Angus Berwick; Editing by Sarah White)

smedly · August 17, 2017

when we have clerics preaching in mosques that western values are destroying islam ...... in other words they don't accept or agree with western values - <deleted> are they doing living in western Christian countries !!!!!!

Oh yes come live with us and integrate into western society ................... what ?

All throughout Europe and in the UK we now have lawless gettos were these people have done their utmost not to integrate.

Sorry but there is something seriously wrong with that, it is now being proven beyond any doubt that Christians (and others) and Muslims cannot inhabit the same land mass, and cannot integrate into any sort of coherent peaceful social structure.

Yes there are exceptions and those are the people who are afraid to speak out, they are surpressed - not allowed to speak up and the law (western values) cannot protect them.

I will eat my keyboard if the scum that carried out this attack are not already known to the authorities and have been attending a mosque were clerics are telling them that western values are destroying islam and their faith. they are only a 3hr journey away from somewhere that largely will accept their faith although that has a massive question over it also because these muslims cannot even get on with themselves..........so <deleted> hope have the got in Manchester

going back to the point above

if you have clerics preaching in mosques that "western values are destroying islam" then it should be treated as a hate crime against westerners and their values, and BTW that is exactly what is going on.....day in day out these people are living in the west preaching that they don't agree with the simple none religious values we have....like laws and stuff

well the solution is simple

observer90210 · August 17, 2017

The danger in the modern dynamics of terrorism are that the perpetrators are usually not under police scrutinity and are generally not known radicals.

The current patterns call for any frustrated Tom, Dick, Harry or Hassan to evacuate their inner anger or frustrations in mass murder.

Keep in mind that ISIS has an equal amount of europeans who have converted to the crimininal spree.

Not much to do with any brainwashing ideology or whatsoever. Just a bunch of frustrated western or arab nitwicks who get a kick out of a kill.

And that what makes the whole issue all the more dangerous and complicated to erradicate.

canuckamuck · August 17, 2017

Western values are under attack everywhere, and not just by the Muslims. Those who defend those values are labeled fascists, nazis, and racist. One group hates western values because they are intolerant, the other group because they say those values are intolerant, arrogant, elitist. What is to be done for those in the middle that say western civilization is the pinnacle of human achievement and we should embrace what has made us great. Freedom of speech, privacy, property rights, rule of law, morality, and a fair bit of caution. The way is not back to the stone age, nor is it to abandon all wisdom and tradition. Everyone is so angry they cannot see we should celebrate that things have never been better for quality of life. Except for for all the protesting and violence demanding change.

webfact · August 17, 2017

Van ploughs through crowd in Barcelona, killing at least 13

By Andrés González and Richard Martin

Armed Catalonian Mosses de Escuadra officers leave the area where a van crashed into pedestrians at Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain, August 18, 2017. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

BARCELONA (Reuters) - A manhunt is underway for the driver of a van that mowed through crowds of tourists on Barcelona's most famous avenue on Thursday, killing at least 13 people in an attack that was claimed by Islamic State.

Authorities said the death toll could rise, with more than 100 people injured, some seriously.

Police said they arrested two men, a Moroccan and a man from Spain's north African enclave of Melilla, though neither was the driver. Witnesses said the driver fled on foot.

Police evacuate people after a van crashed into pedestrians near the Las Ramblas avenue in central Barcelona, Spain August 17, 2017. Picture taken August 17, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer

Also on Thursday, hours beforehand, a person was killed in an explosion in a house about 100 km (62 miles) southwest of Barcelona, in an incident linked to the attack, police added.

It was still not clear how many attackers had been involved. In another incident, police shot dead a man who had driven a car into a police checkpoint in Barcelona, though they had no evidence that this, too, was connected with the van attack.

Witnesses said the white van zigzagged at high speed down Las Ramblas, a busy avenue thronged with tourists, knocking down pedestrians and leaving bodies strewn across the ground.

Islamic State's Amaq news agency said: "The perpetrators of the Barcelona attack are soldiers of the Islamic State and carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting coalition states" - a reference to a U.S.-led coalition against the Sunni militant group.

The claim could not immediately be verified.

If the involvement of Islamist militants is confirmed, it would be the latest in a string of attacks in the past 13 months in which they have used vehicles to bring carnage to the streets of European cities.

People help an injured woman lying on the ground after a van crashed into pedestrians near the Las Ramblas avenue in central Barcelona, Spain August 17, 2017, in this still image from a video obtained from social media. Courtesy of Carlos Tena Gallardo/via REUTERS

That modus operandi - crude, deadly and very hard to prevent - has killed well over 100 people in Nice, Berlin, London and Stockholm.

British tourist Keith Welling, who arrived in Barcelona on Wednesday with his wife and 9-year-old daughter, said they saw the van drive past them down the avenue and took refuge in a restaurant when panic broke out and the crowd started running.

"People were shouting and we heard a bang and someone cried that it was a gunshot ... Me and my family ran into the restaurant along with around 40 other people.

"At first people were going crazy in there, lots of people crying, including a little girl around three years old."

It was the deadliest attack in Spain since March 2004, when Islamist militants placed bombs on commuter trains in Madrid, killing 191 people and wounding more than 1,800.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Twitter he was en route to Barcelona. "Maximum coordination to arrest the attackers, reinforce security and attend to all those affected," he said.

The Spanish royal household said on Twitter: “They are murderers, nothing more than criminals who are not going to terrorise us. All of Spain is Barcelona. Las Ramblas will go back to being everyone’s.”

U.S. President Donald Trump said: "The United States condemns the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, and will do whatever is necessary to help."

He added: "Be tough & strong, we love you!"

BODIES ON THE GROUND

Catalan police said the two men detained on Thursday had been arrested in two towns, Ripoll and Alcanar, both in the region of Catalonia, of which Barcelona is the capital.

The explosion was also in the town of Alcanar, in the early hours of Thursday. One person died and another was injured in that incident, police said.

Mobile phone footage showed several bodies strewn along the Ramblas, some motionless. Paramedics and bystanders bent over them, treating them and trying to comfort those still conscious.

Around them, the boulevard was deserted, covered in rubbish and abandoned objects including hats, flip-flops, bags and a pram.

Belgium's foreign minister said a Belgian was among the dead.

Regional head Carles Puigdemont said people had been flocking to hospitals in Barcelona to give blood.

Holidaymaker Ellen Vercamm told El Pais newspaper: "We saw a white van collide with people. We saw people going flying."

A witness named Rebecca told La Vanguardia: "I've seen a lot of people knocked down on the floor and the people are running and crying. The van drove down the middle of the street dragging everyone with it."

TOURIST DRAW

The incident took place at the height of the tourist season in Barcelona, which is one of Europe's top travel destinations with at least 11 million visitors a year.

French President Emmanuel Macron, whose nation has suffered some of Europe's deadliest militant attacks in recent years, tweeted: "All my thoughts and France's solidarity to the victims of the tragic attack in Barcelona."

A Vatican spokesman said Pope Francis was praying for the victims and wanted to express his closeness to all Spanish people, especially the victims and their families.

Authorities in Vic, a small town outside Barcelona, said a van had been found there in connection with the attack. Spanish media had earlier reported that a second van had been hired as a getaway vehicle.

Barcelona is the capital of the wealthy northeastern region of Catalonia, which plans to hold a popular vote on Oct. 1 on whether it should secede from Spain. It is in dispute with the central government, which says the vote cannot go ahead because it is unconstitutional.

Following the attack, security staff at Barcelona airport suspended a strike that started in early August. "Our work is now more necessary than ever," a spokesman said.

(Reporting by Angus Berwick, Sarah White, Julien Toyer and Madrid newsroom; Alissa de Carbonnel in Belgium; Ali Abdelaty and Ahmed Aboulenein in Cairo; Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Alison Williams, Nick Tattersall and Lisa Shumaker)

smedly · August 17, 2017

17 minutes ago, observer90210 said:

The danger in the modern dynamics of terrorism are that the perpetrators are usually not under police scrutinity and are generally not known radicals.

The current patterns call for any frustrated Tom, Dick, Harry or Hassan to evacuate their inner anger or frustrations in mass murder.

Keep in mind that ISIS has an equal amount of europeans who have converted to the crimininal spree.

Not much to do with any brainwashing ideology or whatsoever. Just a bunch of frustrated western or arab nitwicks who get a kick out of a kill.

And that what makes the whole issue all the more dangerous and complicated to erradicate.

sorry but where have you been, at least 90% of all terror attacks in Europe have been carried out by people "known to the authorities"

The problem is - what defines the point of intervention, well with EU human rights involved - a person would pretty much need to have a bomb strapped to themselves and you would still need to prove intent and that they weren't out for a pleasant stroll

Like I said in my post above, what identifies the threat needs to change, we have muslim clerics preaching that western values are destroying islam - what do they possibly hope to achieve by this, there are only three options that I see

- people that support it act on it with a terrorist event

- stop preaching this divisive nonsense and integrate properly into the society

- the authorities need new legislation and powers to step in and deal with it before it leads to a terrorist event

what currently hampers the UK from doing anything ....................... EU human rights laws

I am all for human rights but those propagating hate and division need to be dealt with, this is the age we are now in, the happy happy all together thing is not working any more

Time for change and new laws to deal with these people and redefine what needs to be dealt with

simple1 · August 17, 2017

Yet another horrendous terror attack in the EU, condolences for the dead & injured. An attack in a Spanish tourist area was forecast by a number of Western security agencies and highly likely will not be the last.

z42 · August 17, 2017

Obviously an appalling crime, and my condolences go out to the victims and their families. But the fb memes, colour banners and the outpourings of "what is the world coming to" by western citizens en masse just go to show how ignorant they are to the atrocities committed daily in less developed lands.

The Islamic terror problem isn't going away. The plots are becoming so simple that not even the dimmest of these idiots can screw up, it is a worry for sure

smedly · August 17, 2017

one innocent life lost is one too many....and for what............? all in the name of what ? as far as I can see it is in the name of domination/ownership over very young girls and the promise of riches.....really sick disturbed people that are generally failures in life

there is some real evil amongst us - if there really is a hell I think we are in it, the last 100 years has to be considered, is it a sick competition, what new low are we heading for ?

The most intelligent on this earth..... really ?

webfact · August 18, 2017

Spain hunts van driver who mowed down Barcelona crowd, killing 13

By Andrés González and Richard Martin

The suspected van is towed away from the area where it crashed into pedestrians at Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain, August 18, 2017. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

BARCELONA (Reuters) - A manhunt was underway for the driver of a van that mowed through crowds of tourists on Barcelona's most famous avenue on Thursday, killing at least 13 people in an attack that was claimed by Islamic State.

Authorities said the death toll could rise, with more than 100 people injured, some seriously.

Police said they arrested two men, a Moroccan and a man from Spain's north African enclave of Melilla, though neither was the driver. Witnesses said the driver fled on foot.

It was still not clear how many attackers had been involved.

Hours beforehand, one person was killed in an explosion in a house in a town southwest of Barcelona, in an incident linked to the attack, police added. Residents of the house were preparing explosives, a police source said.

As the manhunt continued into the night, police said several attackers were killed in a shootout during an operation against what they called a possible "terror attack" in Cambrils, another town south of Barcelona.

Earlier in Barcelona, witnesses said the white van zigzagged at high speed down Las Ramblas, a busy avenue thronged with tourists, ramming pedestrians and cyclists, sending some hurtling through the air and leaving bodies strewn in its wake.

Islamic State's Amaq news agency said: "The perpetrators of the Barcelona attack are soldiers of the Islamic State and carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting coalition states" - a reference to a U.S.-led coalition against the Sunni militant group.

Spain has several hundred soldiers in Iraq providing training to local forces in the fight against Islamic State, but they are not involved in ground operations.

The Islamic State claim could not immediately be verified.

If the involvement of Islamist militants is confirmed, it would be the latest in a string of attacks in the past 13 months in which they have used vehicles to bring carnage to the streets of European cities.

That modus operandi - crude, deadly and very hard to prevent - has killed well over 100 people in Nice, Berlin, London and Stockholm.

British tourist Keith Welling, who arrived in Barcelona on Wednesday with his wife and 9-year-old daughter, said they saw the van drive past them down the avenue and took refuge in a restaurant when panic broke out and the crowd started running.

"People were shouting and we heard a bang and someone cried that it was a gunshot ... Me and my family ran into the restaurant along with around 40 other people.

"At first people were going crazy in there, lots of people crying, including a little girl around three years old."

It was the deadliest attack in Spain since March 2004, when Islamist militants placed bombs on commuter trains in Madrid, killing 191 people and wounding more than 1,800.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced three days of official mourning for what he called a "jihadist attack."

The Spanish royal household said on Twitter: “They are murderers, nothing more than criminals who are not going to terrorise us. All of Spain is Barcelona.”

U.S. President Donald Trump said: "The United States condemns the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, and will do whatever is necessary to help."

He added: "Be tough & strong, we love you!"

BODIES ON THE GROUND

Police said the two men detained on Thursday had been arrested in two towns, Ripoll and Alcanar, both in the region of Catalonia, of which Barcelona is the capital.

The explosion was also in the town of Alcanar, in the early hours of Thursday. One person died and another was injured in that incident, police said.

Police said they also shot dead on Thursday a man who had driven a car into a police checkpoint in Barcelona, though they had no evidence he was connected with the van attack.

Mobile phone footage showed several bodies strewn along the Ramblas, some motionless. Paramedics and bystanders bent over them, treating them and trying to comfort those still conscious.

Around them, the boulevard was deserted, covered in rubbish and abandoned objects including hats, flip-flops, bags and a pram.

Belgium's foreign minister said a Belgian was among the dead.

Regional head Carles Puigdemont said people had been flocking to hospitals in Barcelona to give blood.

Susana Elvira Carolina, 33, who works at a shop on Las Ramblas, had just entered her building when the van struck.

"We had a window and you could see the bodies lying from there, you could see how people were run over ... We were shutting down the blinds but people kept coming in and we had to keep it open so they could enter the shop."

TOURIST DRAW

The incident took place at the height of the tourist season in Barcelona, which is one of Europe's top travel destinations with at least 11 million visitors a year.

French President Emmanuel Macron, whose nation has suffered some of Europe's deadliest militant attacks in recent years, tweeted: "All my thoughts and France's solidarity to the victims of the tragic attack in Barcelona."

A Vatican spokesman said Pope Francis was praying for the victims and wanted to express his closeness to all Spanish people, especially the victims and their families.

Authorities in Vic, a small town outside Barcelona, said a van had been found there in connection with the attack. Spanish media had earlier reported that a second van had been hired as a getaway vehicle.

Barcelona is the capital of the wealthy northeastern region of Catalonia, which plans to hold a popular vote on Oct. 1 on whether it should secede from Spain. The central government says the vote cannot go ahead because it is unconstitutional.

Before Thursday's attack, government data showed that police had arrested 11 suspected jihadists in the Barcelona area so far this year, more than anywhere else in Spain.

(Reporting by Angus Berwick, Sarah White, Julien Toyer and Madrid newsroom; Alissa de Carbonnel in Belgium; Ali Abdelaty and Ahmed Aboulenein in Cairo; Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Mark Bendeich, Nick Tattersall and Lisa Shumaker)

webfact · August 18, 2017

Spanish police 'stop second attack'

Spanish police say they have killed several people in Cambrils to stop what they say was a second attempted attack after a car attack in Barcelona.

Police warned people to stay off the streets, with shots reported in the port of Cambrils.

Thirteen people died and dozens were injured when a van ploughed into crowds in Barcelona's Las Ramblas area on Thursday afternoon.

Full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40971004

cornishcarlos · August 18, 2017

I can't believe it doesn't happen more often !! Such an easy method of attack...

I think its starting to have the desired effect too... I am certainly more conscious of my surroundings these days, careful about where I sit, study escape routes etc...

Its not going away, so we need to adapt or drop to their level !! Scary world...

Daffy D · August 18, 2017

Just hope that they don't latch onto the idea how easily tower blocks burn.

sweatalot · August 18, 2017

Thank you Merkel!

And you (deleted) will probably be reelected instead of paying for your crime and going to prison for betrayal of Europe

You are also guilty for the hate of the people that hits innocent and peaceful refugees because you let the scum in

Grouse · August 18, 2017

Is it just me or are these sort of attacks particularly cowardly? Driving a vehicle into pedestrians! Nor exactly Saladin is it? Why are these beared wonders such softies? I don't think they have the courage to directly attack Western men. In future, I will just laugh at them.

AhFarangJa · August 18, 2017

3 hours ago, smedly said:

when we have clerics preaching in mosques that western values are destroying islam ...... in other words they don't accept or agree with western values - <deleted> are they doing living in western Christian countries !!!!!!

Oh yes come live with us and integrate into western society ................... what ?

All throughout Europe and in the UK we now have lawless gettos were these people have done their utmost not to integrate.

Sorry but there is something seriously wrong with that, it is now being proven beyond any doubt that Christians (and others) and Muslims cannot inhabit the same land mass, and cannot integrate into any sort of coherent peaceful social structure.

Yes there are exceptions and those are the people who are afraid to speak out, they are surpressed - not allowed to speak up and the law (western values) cannot protect them.

I will eat my keyboard if the scum that carried out this attack are not already known to the authorities and have been attending a mosque were clerics are telling them that western values are destroying islam and their faith. they are only a 3hr journey away from somewhere that largely will accept their faith although that has a massive question over it also because these muslims cannot even get on with themselves..........so <deleted> hope have the got in Manchester

going back to the point above

if you have clerics preaching in mosques that "western values are destroying islam" then it should be treated as a hate crime against westerners and their values, and BTW that is exactly what is going on.....day in day out these people are living in the west preaching that they don't agree with the simple none religious values we have....like laws and stuff

well the solution is simple

Very well put smedley. I for one wish the western governments would ditch this politically correct, don't upset the Muslim approach. Alas I fear it is just too late. As I have posted many times, ( and been vilified more than once for it ) these people will not, and do not want to live as we do. They come from their s***holes to Europe, then want to change our country into their old s***holes......

steven100 · August 18, 2017

Crazy muslim terrorists. Get rid of them and the world will be alot safer.

hansnl · August 18, 2017

Another exploit of the religion of peace...........

Nowisee · August 18, 2017

The world would be a much better without religion, this one in particular.

When will seemingly intelligent people realize there is no such thing as a god?
The world is at war with Islam.

This is world we live in now.

nabbie · August 18, 2017

49 minutes ago, sweatalot said:

Thank you Merkel!

And you (deleted) will probably be reelected instead of paying for your crime and going to prison for betrayal of Europe

You are also guilty for the hate of the people that hits innocent and peaceful refugees because you let the scum in

That is why Brexit starts to defend themselves.....

webfact · August 18, 2017

Thai embassy warns Thais to avoid Barcelona street following terror attack

By The Nation

Tourists wait for the police to allow them to come back to their hotel on the Rambla boulevard after a van ploughed into the crowd, killing at least 13 people and injuring around 100 others is towed away from the Rambla in Barcelona./AFP

MADRID: -- The Thai embassy in Madrid issued a warning for Thais to avoid La Rambla street and other crowded areas in the heart of Barcelona following an attack that killed 13 people and injured more than 50 others on Thursday.

A van driver deliberately slammed his vehicle into the crowd on the most popular street at 5pm on Thursday.

The embassy said if any Thai needs help, they can call: 34 693 517 201.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30324176

Orton Rd · August 18, 2017

3 hours ago, simple1 said:

Yet another horrendous terror attack in the EU, condolences for the dead & injured. An attack in a Spanish tourist area was forecast by a number of Western security agencies and highly likely will not be the last.

Another ISLAMIC terror attack you mean, lets not descend to the standards of the BBC. Of course it will not the the last, Islam has been at war with the infidel for 1400 years.

webfact · August 18, 2017

Spain hunts driver who killed 13 in Barcelona, says foils bomb plot

By Andrés González and Richard Martin

Forensic police officers search for clues near the area where a van crashed into pedestrians at Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain, August 18, 2017. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Spain mounted a sweeping anti-terror operation on Friday after a suspected Islamist militant drove a van into crowds in Barcelona, killing 13 people before fleeing, in what police suspect was one of multiple planned attacks.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the deadly rampage along the city's most famous avenue on Thursday, which was packed with tourists taking an afternoon stroll. The death toll could rise, with more than 100 injured, authorities said.

As security forces hunted for the van's driver, who was seen escaping on foot, police said they had killed five attackers on Thursday night in Cambrils, a town south of Barcelona, to thwart a "terrorist attack" using explosive belts. Six civilians and a police officer were injured in the operation.

Police said the Cambrils plot was linked to the van attack.

Before the van ploughed into the tree-lined walkway of Las Ramblas, one person was killed in an explosion in a house in a separate town southwest of Barcelona, police said. Residents there were preparing explosives, a police source added.

Police said they had arrested two men, a Moroccan and a man from Spain's north African enclave of Melilla, though neither was the van driver. They added that the situation in Cambrils was under control.

It was still not clear how many people had been involved in the van attack and other incidents on Thursday.

Witnesses to the van attack said the white vehicle had zigzagged at high speed down Las Ramblas, ramming pedestrians and cyclists, sending some hurtling through the air and leaving bodies strewn in its wake.