Terrorist kills 14 in van havoc
A TERRORIST who drove through crowds in a shopping strip in the Spanish city of Barcelona has killed 14 people and injured more than 100.
The man took to the leafy promenade of Las Ramblas just before 5pm on Thursday, local time, weaving his van at crowds of shoppers.
Panicked tourists enjoying a warm summer’s evening ran screaming into restaurants as the van sped at 80kmh along the crowded promenade, running down men, women and children for more than 500m before the driver fled.
Last night he was believed to still be on the run.
A massive manhunt was under way.
Horrifying images posted on social media showed pools of blood, crumpled bodies, several prams, and abandoned shoes, bags and water bottles left in the van’s wake.
A witness, Isaac, told Spanish media the van mounted the footpath to run people over.
“We saw the van passing by, running people over at 50 miles an hour. It was as if it was driving through a field of corn,’’ he said.
The United States’ foremost spy agency warned Spanish police two months ago that Las Ramblas could be targeted by terrorists.
The Central Intelligence Agency told Mossos d’Esquadra regional police that jihadis might specifically target the tourist hotspot as here were no bollards or obstacles in place at Las Ramblas to slow down or prevent any such attack.
Three German citizens, a Greek and a Belgian were thought to be among the dead. Twenty-six French citizens were injured, 11 seriously.
Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said eight Australians had been caught up in the terror attack, including four injured and three who needed consular assistance.
“Of the four injured, that includes one woman, who is from New South Wales in a stable condition, but was seriously injured,” Ms Bishop said.
“A second woman, also from NSW, is in a serious condition in hospital. She was travelling on a British passport.”
Two young men from Melbourne were also treated for minor injuries and released.
A seven-year-old boy from NSW was also missing after being separated from his mother on Las Ramblas. Jihadi group Islamic State claimed responsibility.
The attacks appeared highly organised and were linked to an explosion 24 hours earlier at a house in Alcanar, 200km south of Barcelona, where gas canisters exploded, killing one person.
Police found incriminating documents at the scene and believed the canisters were being prepared for use in the Las Ramblas attack.
Regional police chief Josep Lluis Trapero said the terrorist intended to “kill as many people as possible’’.
“At 16.50 (local time) a van entered the pedestrian area of the Rambla, and drove for many metres, running over hundreds of people,’’ he said.
“Many of them were injured and it caused the death of 13 people.
“The driver got out of the van and ran away.
“There was no shouting, no phrases which sometimes accompany such attacks.’’
The attack in Barcelona – the first Islamist attack in Spain since the Madrid train bombings in 2004 which killed 191 people and injured 1800 more – targeted the city’s most famous tourist precinct, which was packed with foreign visitors enjoying the European summer school holidays.