At least 14 people were killed and more than 100 others injured after drivers slammed into pedestrians in two quick-succession, separate attacks on Barcelona&#39;s most popular street and in another busy Spanish seaside town.

What happened? 
An explosion in a house late Wednesday in Alcanar, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) south of Barcelona, left one person dead and seven wounded.

Initially treated as a random gas blast, police later linked it to the Barcelona assault, believing occupants of the house were preparing an explosive device inside. One of four suspects later arrested was detained in Alcanar.

Around 4:50 pm (1450 GMT) on Thursday, a vehicle ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians on the famous Las Ramblas boulevard in Barcelona.

The promenade in the heart of the city is one of Barcelona&#39;s busiest streets, normally thronged with tourists and street performers until well into the night.

Witnesses described scenes of chaos and panic, with bodies strewn along the boulevard as others fled for their lives.

The driver fled on foot. Police have since said he may be among several suspects killed in the hours since the mayhem started.&nbsp;

Second attack 
Some eight hours after the Barcelona attack, an Audi A3 car hit pedestrians in the resort town of Cambrils, 120 kilometres (75 miles) to the south. Six civilians and a police officer were injured; one of the civilians, a woman, later died.

The five occupants of the car were killed by police.

When asked if the Barcelona driver may have been among those killed, Josep Lluis Trapero of Catalonia&#39;s police said &quot;the investigation points in that direction,&quot; while cautioning that there was no &quot;concrete proof&quot;.&nbsp;

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<h5>Moussa Oukabir is reportedly 17. He is thought to have used documents belonging to his older brother to rent the van</h5>
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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 some three dozen nationalities among the dead and injured who came from countries as varied as France, Pakistan, Spain, the Netherlands, China, Venezuela, Mauritania, Australia, Britain and the United States.

At least one American was killed in the attacks, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said.

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.&nbsp;

A 74-year-old Portuguese woman was also among the dead, the government said, while a man called Tony Cadman launched a Facebook appeal for his seven-year-old grandson who is missing.

So far France appears to have the most citizens among the injured, reporting 28 wounded with eight gravely hurt.

Who is behind it? 
The Islamic State&#39;s propaganda agency Amaq claimed that &quot;soldiers&quot; from the jihadist group carried out the Barcelona attack, according to the SITE Intelligence Group which monitors Islamist websites.

&quot;The executors of the Barcelona attack were soldiers of the Islamic State,&quot; Amaq said, quoted by SITE.

Police in the Catalonia region where both attack sites are located said they had arrested four suspects -- a Spaniard born in Spain&#39;s north African enclave of Melilla and three Moroccans.

One was held in Alcanar where Wednesday&#39;s explosion took place. The three others were picked up in the town of Ripoll, 100 kilometres north of Barcelona.

None of them had any criminal record where &quot;terrorism&quot; is concerned, Trapero said, although some had committed petty crimes.

Only one of those held has been identified as Driss Oukabir.

Police are also looking for his brother Moussa, as well as three other people according to the Catalonia-based La Vanguardia newspaper.

The suspects were preparing an even bigger attack but were thwarted in their plans after the house explosion in Alcanar destroyed &quot;the material they needed to commit attacks of an even bigger scope,&quot; Catalonia police say.

Previous attacks in Spain 
Spain was hit by what is still Europe&#39;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.

At least 14 people were killed and more than 100 others injured after drivers slammed into pedestrians in two quick-succession, separate attacks on Barcelona's most popular street and in another busy Spanish seaside town. What happened? An explosion in a house late Wednesday in Alcanar, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) south of Barcelona, left one person dead and seven wounded. Initially treated as a random gas blast, police later linked it to the Barcelona assault, believing occupants of the house were preparing an explosive device inside. One of four suspects later arrested was detained in Alcanar. Around 4:50 pm (1450 GMT) on Thursday, a vehicle ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians on the famous Las Ramblas boulevard in Barcelona. The promenade in the heart of the city is one of Barcelona's busiest streets, normally thronged with tourists and street performers until well into the night. Witnesses described scenes of chaos and panic, with bodies strewn along the boulevard as others fled for their lives. The driver fled on foot. Police have since said he may be among several suspects killed in the hours since the mayhem started. Second attack Some eight hours after the Barcelona attack, an Audi A3 car hit pedestrians in the resort town of Cambrils, 120 kilometres (75 miles) to the south. Six civilians and a police officer were injured; one of the civilians, a woman, later died. The five occupants of the car were killed by police. When asked if the Barcelona driver may have been among those killed, Josep Lluis Trapero of Catalonia's police said "the investigation points in that direction," while cautioning that there was no "concrete proof". Moussa Oukabir is reportedly 17. He is thought to have used documents belonging to his older brother to rent the van × 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 some three dozen nationalities among the dead and injured who came from countries as varied as France, Pakistan, Spain, the Netherlands, China, Venezuela, Mauritania, Australia, Britain and the United States. At least one American was killed in the attacks, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said. 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. A 74-year-old Portuguese woman was also among the dead, the government said, while a man called Tony Cadman launched a Facebook appeal for his seven-year-old grandson who is missing. So far France appears to have the most citizens among the injured, reporting 28 wounded with eight gravely hurt. 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. "The executors of the Barcelona attack were soldiers of the Islamic State," Amaq said, quoted by SITE. Police in the Catalonia region where both attack sites are located said they had arrested four suspects -- a Spaniard born in Spain's north African enclave of Melilla and three Moroccans. One was held in Alcanar where Wednesday's explosion took place. The three others were picked up in the town of Ripoll, 100 kilometres north of Barcelona. None of them had any criminal record where "terrorism" is concerned, Trapero said, although some had committed petty crimes. Only one of those held has been identified as Driss Oukabir. Police are also looking for his brother Moussa, as well as three other people according to the Catalonia-based La Vanguardia newspaper. The suspects were preparing an even bigger attack but were thwarted in their plans after the house explosion in Alcanar destroyed "the material they needed to commit attacks of an even bigger scope," Catalonia police say. 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.

Driver of Barcelona van may have been killed, say police

Suspects in Spain&#39;s deadly twin terror attacks were preparing an even bigger assault that was foiled as events unfolded, police said Friday as the death toll rose to 14 with over 100 injured.&nbsp;

Officers also said the driver of the white van which mowed down tourists in the packed centre of Barcelona Thursday evening may have been among suspects killed in the hours since the mayhem started.

Police said they killed five &quot;suspected terrorists&quot; during the night and arrested three others as Spain reeled from the double tragedy in Barcelona and in Cambrils, some 120 kilometres (75 miles) south.

In a poignant moment Friday, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, King Felipe VI and the president of Catalonia -- where both attacks took place -- held a minute of silence in Barcelona. It was followed by applause and shouts of &quot;not afraid&quot;.

In what has been a fast-moving investigation, police were quick to connect the two attacks, and at a briefing Friday afternoon revealed the suspects had apparently been planning something bigger.

&quot;They were preparing one or several attacks in Barcelona and an explosion in Alcanar stopped this as they no longer had the material they needed to commit attacks of an even bigger scope,&quot; said Josep Lluis Trapero of Catalonia&#39;s police.

He was referring to a blast in a house in the town of Alcanar Wednesday evening, which police said killed one person. They said it was caused by an attempt to make explosive devices.

Trapero said that after this, the suspects -- who formed part of a cell -- allegedly went on to commit &quot;more rudimentary&quot; attacks. These involved the vehicles ploughing into pedestrians in Barcelona and Cambrils.&nbsp;

The Cambril suspects had an axe and knives in the car as well as fake explosive belts stuck to their bodies, said police.

The police chief added that the driver of the van in Barcelona could be among the five suspects shot dead by security forces in Cambrils. But while some evidence indicated this, there was no conclusive proof.

Organised &#39;cell&#39; 
Both the Spanish attacks followed the same modus operandi.

Drivers deliberately targeted pedestrians with their vehicles, just the latest in a series of such assaults in Europe, where cars and vans have been used to lethal effect.

Javier Zaragoza, a prosecutor advising the attorney general in terrorism matters, told AFP the attacks were most likely the work of an organised &quot;cell&quot;.

Otso Iho of Jane&#39;s Terrorism and Insurgency Centre added there appeared to be &quot;a much higher level of coordination than has been typically present in previous attacks&quot;.

As world leaders united in condemning the violence, the Islamic State group propaganda agency Amaq claimed that one of its &quot;soldiers&quot; had carried out the rampage in Barcelona.

It is believed to be the first time IS has claimed an attack in Spain.

Relatives separated 
In the Barcelona incident, a white van sped down the popular Las Ramblas avenue packed full of tourists Thursday afternoon, knocking people down and killing 13 in a scene of chaos and horror.

The driver left the vehicle on the busy boulevard and fled on foot.

Witnesses described how the van pushed through the crowd, leaving bodies strewn along the boulevard as people fled for their lives, screaming in panic.

&quot;We were on the city tour bus, we were 20 feet from the accident when it happened,&quot; said Alex Luque, a 19-year-old student from New York.

&quot;We heard the van and the impact with people and then we saw people running.&quot;

Then just eight hours later attackers struck again in the early hours of Friday.

This time, the attack was in the seaside resort of Cambrils where an Audi A3 car rammed into pedestrians, injuring six civilians and a police officer. One of the civilians later died.

The police shot dead the five attackers. The also said the had arrested four suspects, including three Moroccans and a Spaniard.

There were at least 34 nationalities among the dead and injured, from countries including Algeria, Australia, China, France, Ireland, Peru and Venezuela, according to Spain&#39;s civil protection agency.

At least two Italians were among the dead, said officials in Rome. At least one American was killed, according to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Belgium said one of its nationals had also died.

Europe&#39;s deadliest attack 
Spain, the world&#39;s third most popular tourism destination, had until now been spared in the recent wave of extremist attacks that have rocked nearby France, Belgium and Germany.

It had even seen a surge in tourists as visitors fled other restive sunshine destinations like Tunisia and Egypt.

But it is nevertheless no stranger to jihadist attacks.

In March 2004, it was hit by what is still Europe&#39;s deadliest, when bombs on commuter trains in Madrid killed 191 people in an attack claimed by Al Qaeda-inspired extremists.

Spain has also had to deal with a decades-long campaign of violence waged by Basque separatist group ETA, which only declared a ceasefire in 2011.

Police said Thursday that one of the suspects arrested in the Barcelona attack was a Spaniard born in Melilla, a Spanish territory in North Africa. Another suspect was a Moroccan named as Driss Oukabir.

It is thought the suspects had wanted to use explosives

Suspects in Spain's deadly twin terror attacks were preparing an even bigger assault that was foiled as events unfolded, police said Friday as the death toll rose to 14 with over 100 injured. Officers also said the driver of the white van which mowed down tourists in the packed centre of Barcelona Thursday evening may have been among suspects killed in the hours since the mayhem started. Police said they killed five "suspected terrorists" during the night and arrested three others as Spain reeled from the double tragedy in Barcelona and in Cambrils, some 120 kilometres (75 miles) south. In a poignant moment Friday, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, King Felipe VI and the president of Catalonia -- where both attacks took place -- held a minute of silence in Barcelona. It was followed by applause and shouts of "not afraid". In what has been a fast-moving investigation, police were quick to connect the two attacks, and at a briefing Friday afternoon revealed the suspects had apparently been planning something bigger. "They were preparing one or several attacks in Barcelona and an explosion in Alcanar stopped this as they no longer had the material they needed to commit attacks of an even bigger scope," said Josep Lluis Trapero of Catalonia's police. He was referring to a blast in a house in the town of Alcanar Wednesday evening, which police said killed one person. They said it was caused by an attempt to make explosive devices. Trapero said that after this, the suspects -- who formed part of a cell -- allegedly went on to commit "more rudimentary" attacks. These involved the vehicles ploughing into pedestrians in Barcelona and Cambrils. The Cambril suspects had an axe and knives in the car as well as fake explosive belts stuck to their bodies, said police. The police chief added that the driver of the van in Barcelona could be among the five suspects shot dead by security forces in Cambrils. But while some evidence indicated this, there was no conclusive proof. Organised 'cell' Both the Spanish attacks followed the same modus operandi. Drivers deliberately targeted pedestrians with their vehicles, just the latest in a series of such assaults in Europe, where cars and vans have been used to lethal effect. Javier Zaragoza, a prosecutor advising the attorney general in terrorism matters, told AFP the attacks were most likely the work of an organised "cell". Otso Iho of Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Centre added there appeared to be "a much higher level of coordination than has been typically present in previous attacks". As world leaders united in condemning the violence, the Islamic State group propaganda agency Amaq claimed that one of its "soldiers" had carried out the rampage in Barcelona. It is believed to be the first time IS has claimed an attack in Spain. Relatives separated In the Barcelona incident, a white van sped down the popular Las Ramblas avenue packed full of tourists Thursday afternoon, knocking people down and killing 13 in a scene of chaos and horror. The driver left the vehicle on the busy boulevard and fled on foot. Witnesses described how the van pushed through the crowd, leaving bodies strewn along the boulevard as people fled for their lives, screaming in panic. "We were on the city tour bus, we were 20 feet from the accident when it happened," said Alex Luque, a 19-year-old student from New York. "We heard the van and the impact with people and then we saw people running." Then just eight hours later attackers struck again in the early hours of Friday. This time, the attack was in the seaside resort of Cambrils where an Audi A3 car rammed into pedestrians, injuring six civilians and a police officer. One of the civilians later died. The police shot dead the five attackers. The also said the had arrested four suspects, including three Moroccans and a Spaniard. There were at least 34 nationalities among the dead and injured, from countries including Algeria, Australia, China, France, Ireland, Peru and Venezuela, according to Spain's civil protection agency. At least two Italians were among the dead, said officials in Rome. At least one American was killed, according to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Belgium said one of its nationals had also died. Europe's deadliest attack Spain, the world's third most popular tourism destination, had until now been spared in the recent wave of extremist attacks that have rocked nearby France, Belgium and Germany. It had even seen a surge in tourists as visitors fled other restive sunshine destinations like Tunisia and Egypt. But it is nevertheless no stranger to jihadist attacks. In March 2004, it was hit by what is still Europe's deadliest, when bombs on commuter trains in Madrid killed 191 people in an attack claimed by Al Qaeda-inspired extremists. Spain has also had to deal with a decades-long campaign of violence waged by Basque separatist group ETA, which only declared a ceasefire in 2011. Police said Thursday that one of the suspects arrested in the Barcelona attack was a Spaniard born in Melilla, a Spanish territory in North Africa. Another suspect was a Moroccan named as Driss Oukabir.

Spain suspects planned bigger attack, say police

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