Spain police shoot man dead in suspected terror attack
helping with the investigation.
But he added that police BARCELONA, SPAIN — A man have found no evidence link- pleaded to be let into a locked ing the incident to terror police station in Barcelona attacks last August in Barce- before dawn Monday, then lona and nearby Cambrils, lunged with a knife at offi- which killed 16 people. cers inside. Police shot him Despite the police suspidead and the attack is being cions, the Interior Ministry investigated for any links to said it was keeping the coun- terror, authorities said. try’s terror alert at level 4,
Co m missi o ner Rafel indicating high risk. Spain Comes, the second-in-comhas been at that stage of alert mand of the Catalan regional since 2015, following a series police, told reporters that of terror attacks abroad. police are treating it as Level 5, indicating a “very a terrorist attack “for the high risk” of attacks, is the moment” because the incihighest level. dent was “extremely seriOfficers opened a locked ous,” involving a “premed- police station security door itated” attack that intended to the man, who lived in a to kill police. nearby apartment, Comes
The man shouted “Allah” said. The police station is and other words that police located in the Cornella disofficers did not understand, trict on the outskirts of the Comes said, adding that Span- city. ish intelligence services are He said the suspect repeat- edly pressed the buzzer to be let in at around 5.45 a.m. and spoke with officers inside over an intercom. After they decided to let him in, he pulled out “a large knife” and lunged at officers, according to Comes.
The man had ID documents on him and police are checking whether they are authentic.
Comes said authorities have found no criminal record for the man identified in the documents, although international police databases are being searched for matches with his fingerprints.
Police said that as a precaution they evacuated the apartment block where the suspect lived, about 200 yards from the police station, before bomb disposal experts, forensic teams and sniffer dogs began a search of the premises.