What we know
WHAT HAPPENED?
An explosion in a house late Wednesday in Alcanar, about 200 kilometres south of Barcelona, left one person dead and seven wounded. Police said they believe the occupants were preparing an explosive device and the blast could be linked to the Barcelona assault. Around 4:50pm on Thursday, a vehicle ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians on the famous Las Ramblas boulevard in Barcelona killing 13 and injuring dozens. Witnesses described scenes of chaos and panic, with bodies strewn along the boulevard as others fled for their lives. The driver fled on foot and remains at large.
SECOND ATTACK
Some eight hours later in Cambrils, a resort town 120 kilometres south of Barcelona, an Audi A3 car hit pedestrians, injuring six civilians and a police officer. One of the civilians, a woman, later died. The five occupants of the car were killed by police, who said they were "working on the hypothesis that the terrorists shot dead in Cambrils are linked to what happened in Barcelona". Later police said the Barcelona driver could be among five suspects shot dead.
WHO ARE THE VICTIMS?
Emergency services said at least 14 people had died and around 100 more were injured in the two attacks. There were at least 34 nationalities among the dead and injured who came from countries as varied as France, Pakistan, Spain, the Netherlands, China, Venezuela, Mauritania, Australia and Britain. Rome said two Italian nationals were killed including a man who died in front of his wife and young children, and Belgium said one of its citizens was among the fatalities. France said 26 of its citizens were among the injured.
WHO IS BEHIND IT?
The Islamic State's propaganda agency Amaq claimed that "soldiers" from the jihadist group carried out the Barcelona attack, according to the SITE Intelligence Group which monitors Islamist websites. Police in the Spanish region of Catalonia where both attack sites are located said they have arrested four suspects, including a Spaniard born in Spain's north African enclave of Melilla and a Moroccan named as Driss Oukabir. But the driver of the van is still on the run.
HOW DID AUTHORITIES RESPOND?
Emergency services quickly arrived on the scene in Barcelona and cordoned off the area, with several ambulances and police vehicles responding. The city also closed down nearby metro stations, with authorities telling people to stay away from the area. Police appealed to people to stay in their homes and avoid unnecessary trips.
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.
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