(Newswire.net — August 18, 2017) –Five suspected terrorists have been killed and seven people, including a police officer, were wounded when a car was driven into them early on Friday, in the town of Cambrils in Spain, Catalan emergency services said.
After the vehicle with the attackers was overturned the men got out and were fired upon by police. One of them was brandishing a knife, witnesses report.
Also, a series of controlled explosions were then carried out, but now the situation in Cambrils is under control, police said.
Cambrils is a very a popular seaside resort, 68 miles south-west of Barcelona, where the first attack happened, less than eight hours before.
On Thursday afternoon, at 16:50 (14:50 GMT), a rented white Fiat van was driven down Las Ramblas, a popular street in the center of Barcelona, mowing down the pedestrians, and also targeting people, weaving from side to side, witnesses said.
The Las Ramblas boulevard, that runs three-quarters of a mile, is always full of tourists and locals. During the attack, hundreds of people started stampeding through the market, running away from the van.
Witnesses said it was a terrible scene, like something out of a horror movie, people were panicking and screaming.
The driver of the van fled on foot. Police sources have named the suspected driver they are searching for as 18-year-old Moussa Oukabir. He is suspected of using his brother’s documents to rent the van and run people over with it. Driss Oukabir, brother of the driver, was arrested, among three other people. Driss denies involvement and he told police that his documents were stolen. Oubakir is in his 20s, and was born in Morocco.
The so-called Islamic State has said it is behind the Las Ramblas attack.
The Catalan government has said that citizens of some 24 countries were killed or injured in the Las Ramblas attack.
The exact number of injured people has not been announced, but it is assumed that more than 100 are wounded.
Spain’s PM Mariano Rajoy has announced three days of national mourning.