Timeline of terror in Spain: how Barcelona and Cambrils attacks unfolded
Admin
Three
fatal incidents believed to be linked to terrorism occur over a 24-hour period
and a 190-mile stretch of north-east Spain
·
By Guardian
Fourteen people have been
confirmed killed intwo attacks in Spainon Thursday. Thirteen died when a van
was driven in to crowds on Las Ramblas in Barcelona, and one person was killed
by a car in Cambrils, a coastal town 75 miles (120km) to the the south. The
horrific events appear to have begun the night before, in another town 120
miles south of Barcelona.
Wednesday night, Alcanar
An
explosion at a house in the small town of Alcanar, 120 miles south of
Barcelona, and the southernmost point of Catalonia, kills one person and
wounds 16.
Police
say the blast is the result of an accumulation of gas, but do not release
further details. Most injuries occur after firefighters and police
officers are caught by a second blast while investigating the initial
explosion.
Senior
police official Josep Lluis Trapero later says the blast was related to
the van attack in Barcelona the following day, and that those in the house
were attempting to “prepare an explosive device”.
Thursday,
5pm, Barcelona
A
white Fiat van veers off the road and into a crowd outside the Plaça de
Catalunya metro station.
The
driver continues down the pedestrian boulevard of Las Ramblas, a popular
tourist destination, for more than 500 metres before stopping and fleeing
on foot.
The
smashed van is left at the foot of a mosaic by artist Joan MÃro.
The
attack kills 13 people and leaves about 100 injured.
6.30pm,
Vic
In
the town of Vic, 50 miles north of Barcelona, police find a second van,
presumed to be a getaway vehicle.
Police
say the van was hired at the same time as the Fiat used in the attack.
The
perpetrator of the Barcelona attack remains at large.
A
man is killed when he attempts to drive through a police roadblock in the
town of Sant Just Desvern, on the outskirts of Barcelona.
Initial
reports say he died from police gunfire after running over two officers,
leaving one with a broken leg. An official at the time ruled out a
connection to the attack on Las Ramblas.
On
Friday morning, the Catalan interior minister, Joaquim Forn, contradicts
earlier reports, saying the man died of knife wounds not inflicted by
police.
He
says a connection to the other attacks can no longer be ruled out.
8pm,
suspect arrested
Police
confirm one suspect,Driss Oukabir, has been arrested after
turning himself in.
The
28-year old Moroccan-born Spanish resident is identified from documents
left at the scene. But Oukabir says his passport and ID were stolen, and
that he played no part in the attack.
Oukabir
is arrested in the northern Catalan town of Ripoll, 70 miles from
Barcelona. He tells police he came forward after he saw his name and image
being circulated in the media.
The
El PaÃs newspaper says Oukabir, or someone with his ID, rented the Fiat
van used in the attack.
9pm,
Isis speaks out
Islamic
State claims responsibility for the attack.
Using
the group’s Amaq news agency, Isis claims the perpetrators of the attack
are “soldiers of the Islamic State”, but this has not yet been verified.
Claims of responsibility by Isis do not necessarily mean there is a direct
connection between attackers and the terrorist group.
9.30pm,
second suspect arrested
A
second unnamed suspect is confirmed as arrested, according to Catalonia’s
regional president, Carles Puigdemont.
The
police official Josep Lluis Trapero says the second man was born in the
Spanish territory of Melilla in northern Morocco, and was arrested in
Alcanar, the site of Wednesday’s house explosion.
Friday,
1am, Cambrils
Police
kill four alleged terrorists, and injure one, after they carry out a
second attack in the coastal town of Cambrils.
Police
say the attackers drove an Audi A3 car into pedestrians, injuring six
civilians and one police officer.
The
Associated Press reports that police said that attackers were wearing what
appeared to be explosive belts.
The
injured suspect in Cambrils dies, bringing the number of dead suspects to
five.
Police
say one of the injured civilians is in a critical condition and is in hospital.
Catalan
interior minister Joaquim Forn contradicts earlier reports about the
roadblock in Sant Just Desvern. He says the man, who was the owner of the
car, was not driving and was in the passenger seat. He was not killed by
police but rather, was stabbed to death.
Forn
said a connection to the other attacks was a possibility, and that a hunt
was under way to find the person who drove the car to the roadblock.
8.30am,
third arrest
Catalonian
police say they have arrested a third suspect in connection with the
attacks, in Ripoll, where Driss Oukabir had been arrested on Thursday.
9.45am,
suspected van driver identified
Spanish
police identify 18-year-old Moussa Oukabir as the suspected driver of the
van used in Las Ramblas attack, according to reports in Spanish media.
Oukabir
is understood to be the younger brother of Driss Oukabir, the man arrested
in Ripoll on Thursday. Driss Oukabir is reported to have told police that
his identity documents were stolen before they were used to rent the van.
11.30am
Overall death toll rises to 14
Police
say a Spanish woman has died of injuries sustained in the Cambrils attack,
taking the overall toll to 14.
12.40pm,
fourth arrest
Spanish
media report that a fourth person has been arrested in connection with the
attacks
Friday
afternoon, suspects reportedly sought
The
Barcelona-based newspaperLa Vanguardiareported late on Friday afternoon
that the police were hunting four suspects aged 17, 18, 22, and 24. It
named them as Moussa Oukabir - the suspect thought to have driven the van
along Las Ramblas - Mohamed Hychami, Younes Abouyaaqoub, and Said Aallaa.
All live in or close to the Catalonian town of Ripoll.
