SPANISH police shot dead five suspected terrorists in the town of Cambrils yesterday, during a second vehicle attack, hours after another in Barcelona killed 13 people and injured dozens.
Emergency services in Catalonia said those killed and injured in the Barcelona and Cambils attacks are of ‘34 different nationalities’, based on a provisional assessment.
The number of people injured in both attacks has risen to 130, an emergency services spokesman said yesterday. Seventeen were in a critical condition and another 30 were in a serious condition, the spokesman added.
In Cambrils, seven people, including a police officer, were wounded when a car was driven into them early yesterday, Catalan emergency services said. One later died in hospital. The attackers’ vehicle overturned and when the men got out they were quickly fired upon by police. One was reportedly brandishing a knife.
The men were wearing what appeared to be explosive belts, police said, and a series of controlled explosions was carried out. The belts proved to be fake, Catalan regional head Carles Puigdemont later told local radio. Police said later yesterday that the situation in Cambrils, a popular seaside resort 110km (68 miles) south-west of Barcelona, was now under control.
Police said the Cambrils attackers were linked to the Barcelona attack, which the Islamic State group claimed to have carried out (see page 4). Police were yesterday still hunting the man who drove his van into crowds on Las Ramblas in Barcelona on Thursday.
Spanish media have named Moussa Oubakir, 18, as the suspect. He is the brother of Driss Oubakir, whose documentation was allegedly used to rent the van involved in the attack. A minute’s silence was held at noon (10:00 GMT) yesterday and Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy condemned what he called a ‘jihadist attack’ as he announced three days of national mourning.
