Questions abound about Spanish attacks
BARCELONA, Spain — Two days after a devastating vehicle attack on one of Europe’s most iconic tourist destinations, many questions remained as Spanish authorities continued an investigation into the cell of suspected terrorists responsible for the brutal assault that killed 14 and injured hundreds more.
Compared with other recent vehicle attacks in Europe, the two that took place Thursday in Barcelona and early Friday in the nearby seaside city of Cambrils displayed an unusual degree of sophistication and coordination. Authorities are investigating what they believe to be a terrorist cell with possible bases in different locations across the region of Catalonia.
Inspector Albert Oliva, chief spokesman for the national Catalan police, said Saturday that a house was searched in the town of Ripoll on Friday night, but nothing was found. He confirmed that authorities are looking for one suspect, whom he declined to identify.
Early Saturday, Spanish police announced via Twitter that they had searched two buses in the northwestern Spanish cities of Girona and Garrigas overnight but to no avail.
Currently, authorities believe that at least eight suspects were involved in the attacks on Barcelona and, hours later, on Cambrils, about 70 miles southwest of Barcelona. Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez said the 12-person terrorist cell had been “dismantled,” but Oliva — the regional official — described the investigation as ongoing.
While police fatally shot five suspects early Friday — and later arrested three others — at least one suspect remains at large. The fate of the driver of the van that plowed through this city’s famous La Rambla boulevard remains unknown.
Despite the visibility of the attack, the driver managed to flee on foot in the aftermath. Oliva said at the moment he could not say how it was possible for the driver to have escaped.
Late Friday, Spanish media reported that the driver could have been among those killed by police. While authorities continued to investigate that possibility, it had not been confirmed.
As details slowly began to emerge, they painted a picture of an attack that local authorities believe could have been far worse.
Police said they believed the assailants were planning to use propane and butane canisters in an explosive assault against civilians across Barcelona. On Wednesday night, however, the gas ignited prematurely in Alcanar, a small town a little more than 100 miles southwest of Barcelona that is one of the bases the suspects used.
The massive explosion killed at least two people and injured 16, including police officers and firefighters investigating the site.
On Thursday afternoon, one of the suspects in the cell then headed for the crowded Las Ramblas area of Barcelona in a rented white delivery van, which he then used to mow down pedestrians strolling along the tree-lined promenade, packed with shops and cafes. Hours later, other suspected members of the cell struck Cambrils in a similar attack. One more victim was killed in Cambrils, and police killed five of the suspected attackers at the scene.
By late Friday, Spanish intelligence officials were circulating at least four names among their European counterparts, according to a Spanish intelligence official and a European intelligence official, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the situation.
The four men, all holding Moroccan citizenship, ranged in age from 17 to 24. Three were born in the North African country: Said Aallaa, 18; Younes Abouyaaqoub, 22; and Mohamed Hychami, 24.
The fourth was identified in a Spanish police document as Moussa Oukabir, 17, but the European intelligence official said Spanish officials had flagged someone with the same family name but a different first name.