A van crashed into dozens of people in Barcelona in what police are treating as a terrorist attack. After conflicting reports of the number of people killed, a Spanish government official confirmed 13 people were dead and 50 were injured.
Videos on social media show what appear to be several serious injuries after the crash on Las Ramblas, a popular shopping and tourist destination in the city center. The driver reportedly fled after the crash. Police have told people in the area to stay inside. Sky News and Reuters had earlier cited local TV networks reporting that two armed men entered a nearby restaurant and took hostages. However, Catalan police now say there are no hostages or suspects holed up in a restaurant. Police have also confirmed at least one arrest.
Cars have been used in a number of deadly terrorist attacks in Europe since last year in cities including Nice, Berlin, London, and Stockholm. This latest incident also comes just a few days after a protester was killed in a car attack in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Today’s attack is likely to be the worst terrorist incident in Spain since the 2004 Madrid train bombings that killed nearly 200 people. The clumsy response to that attack—authorities initially tried to blame the jihadi attack on the militant Basque separatist group ETA—resulted in the electoral defeat of Spain’s conservative government several days later and the withdrawal of Spanish troops from Iraq.
Spain hasn’t seen any attacks carried out by members of ISIS—who are responsible for most of the worst recent incidents throughout Europe. But in April, police in Catalonia—Barcelona’s region—arrested nine alleged ISIS supporters suspected of links to the 2016 Brussels airport attack.
Spain has a long history of political violence, much of it linked to ETA, which was involved in more than 800 killings over a 40-year armed conflict. ETA says it has ended its armed campaign and handed over its weapons to authorities this year, though, there are some doubts about whether it has given up entirely.
Catalonia also has an active separatist movement, though an almost entirely peaceful one. The region is gearing up for a controversial planned independence referendum this fall, which the government in Madrid has declared illegal and pledged not to recognize.
__________
Follow us on Twitter at @thesignalng
Copyright 2017 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to www.signalng.com and other relevant sources.
