A HOUSE explosion which left one dead in Catalonia last night has been linked to the depraved ISIS-claimed van attack in Barcelona which killed at least 13 people and injured 100.
Cops have confirmed that two men have been arrested while another suspect has reportedly been shot and killed during a gun fight with brave officers in Sant Just Desvern – a small town just outside of the Catalan capital.
The two suspects in custody - a Spanish national from Melilla and a Moroccan - were directly involved in the attack but neither was driver of the van, authorities said.
A huge explosion at a house in a town outside Barcelona last night is related to the terror rampage, cops said.
One person died and seven others were injured, one of them seriously, in the blast at a home in the town of Alcanar.
Firefighters believe a build-up of gas caused the explosion which destroyed the home while authorities found about 20 butane and propane gas bottles at the scene.
More people were hurt in a second blast today, believed to have been caused by an accumulation of gas at the site of the first blast.
One of the vans involved in the deadly attack was reportedly rented by a man named as Driss Oukabir. According to local media, Oukabir is a Spanish national of North African descent.
Despite cops naming and picturing Oukabir, there have been reports that he has handed himself into a police station in Ripoll, in northern Catalonia.
The man purporting to be Oukabir has reportedly claimed that his documentation had been stolen and insisted he had no part in the deadly attack.
- WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR
- A van hit a crowd in the tourist hotpsot Las Ramblas in Barcelona, an area packed with people, at around 5pm local time on Thursday
- Thirteen people have died and 100 more were injured in the attack
- Spanish police are treating it as a terror attack
- The driver of the vehicle was seen fleeing on foot and a manhunt is underway
- At least two men have been arrested in connection with the attack but neither were the driver of the vehicle, cops said
- A driver later ran into two officers at a Barcelona police checkpoint
- It was not immediately clear whether the incident was linked
- Officials are linking the van attack with an explosion that killed one person at a house 124 miles away from Las Ramblas on Wednesday
Catalan cops have said officers shot and killed a man who was in a car that hit two officers at a traffic blockade.
Local media reports say a white Ford Focus ran over the officers and then was intercepted by police 1.9 miles from where the terror attack happened in the city’s Las Ramblas district.
Authorities did not indicate if the shooting was related to the van attack.
The ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq has said that “soldiers” of the brainwashed death cult carried out the attack.
The propaganda outlet said via messaging app Telegram: "The executors of the Barcelona attack were soldiers of the Islamic State.”
Carlos Mauri, who claims to have witnessed the shooting of the suspect in Sant Just Desvern, told La Vanguardia that he heard screaming and shouting before bullets were fired.
He said: "I suddenly heard screams. I thought it was a fight and I went to the balcony.
"There was a lot of police and they were shouting at the man in the car 'put up your hands, put up your hands'.
Carlos said he heard one or two shots and then the man was dead.
The "massive crash" involved a white van mounting the pavement, police said as they confirmed they are treating it as a terror attack.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has said he is in contact with all authorities.
A senior police official in Barcelona said the rampage was "clearly a terror attack, intended to kill as many people as possible."
The driver of the rented Fiat van, registration 7082 JWD, ran away from on foot after the smash.
Investigators also found a SECOND van 70km away in the town of Vic that they believe is connected with the attack.
Cops have ordered shops and cafes in the area to shut and are searching for a man between 5ft 5in and 5ft 6in dressed in blue and white striped clothes.
The crash van entered a pedestrian area at the junction of Las Ramblas and Placa Catalunya.
Reports say it ploughed into people outside a Kosher food shop, although this is yet to be confirmed.
The end of Las Ramblas close to Barcelona's beach has reportedly been turned into a makeshift "field hospital" while the city's blood banks are said to be "full" from donations.
Marc Esparcia, a 20-year-old student who lives in Barcelona, told the BBC: "There was a loud noise and everybody ran for cover.
"There were a lot people, lots of families [at the site], this is one of the most visited sites in Barcelona.
"I think several people were hit. It was horrible, there was panic. Terrible."
He said he was now taking cover inside a Starbucks coffee shop.
Barcelona FC wrote in a statement: "Our hearts are made smaller by this attack. Sending strength and love to the victims, their families and the citizens of Barcelona".
A local festival planned for tonight has been cancelled in response to the slaughter.
Steve Garrett was in a nearby market and sheltered in a bakery with several others after streams of people ran inside.
One member of the group, who took refuge with him, said she had heard gunshots after the incident.
Mr Garrett told the BBC: "A very large number of people ran into the market area in a big kind of way, lots of screaming, lots of shouting.
"The security guards immediately responded. We ran into the bakery with four or five other people and ran straight upstairs and hunkered down whilst an enormous wave of people went through the market.
"Obviously coming from England it was reminding me a great deal of what happened in London, so we were very concerned about what might be going on next.
"The lady that was with us said she heard some gunshots."
Mr Garrett said a "second wave" of people then entered the market, followed by armed police.
He said: "They seemed to sweep through the market area. They seemed to be looking for someone. They were going very carefully, very cautiously, stall to stall."
Vehicle attacks since last summer
VEHICLES have become the weapon of choice for terrorists in Europe with automotive violence striking several countries since last summer.
Stretching from the Mediterranean to Scanidnavia innocents have been mown down in the streets as the vile attacks sweep the continent.
Since last summer there have been vehicle attacks in:
- Nice - 14 July 2016
- Berlin - 19 December 2016
- London - 22 March 2017 (Westminster Bridge) 3 June 2017 (London Bridge)
- Stockholm - 7 April 2017
- Barcelona - Today
"People started screaming and everybody ran in the opposite direction.
"The shopkeeper we spoke to said a van had mounted the pavement and driven into a crowd and at least five or six people, he thought, were very seriously injured."
Ada Colau, the President of Catalonia, the autonomous Spanish state where Barcelona is the capital, has cancelled her holiday and is returning to the city.
In a written statement, British Prime Minister Theresa May said: "I am sickened by the senseless loss of life in Barcelona today.
"The Foreign Office is working to establish if any British nationals were involved in this appalling incident and we are in close contact with the authorities in Spain, who have our full support.
"Following the attacks in Manchester and London, Spain stood alongside the British people. Tonight, Britain stands with Spain against the evil of terrorism."
President Donald Trump tweeted: "The United States condemns the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, and will do whatever is necessary to help. Be tough & strong, we love you!"
The British Foreign Office guidance for Spain reads: "Terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Spain."Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners.
"Spanish police have disrupted a number of groups suspected of recruiting individuals to travel to Syria and Iraq from 2015 to the present date.
"Some of them expressed an intention to carry out attacks in Europe.
"There’s a heightened threat of terrorist attack globally against UK interests and British nationals from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria."
Did you see what happened in Barcelona? Are you in the Las Ramblas area now? Please get in touch with us on 0207 782 4397 or email neal.baker@the-sun.co.uk