Deadly signs of life

THE horrific attacks in Barcelona hide three even more catastrophic events which, had they happened, would be more evidence of the transformation and brutality of terrorism in Europe.

According to ongoing investigations, there was a plot to bomb the Church Sagrada Familia, one of the top 12 historical and heritage sites in Spain. Also on the target list was a seaport and a car bomb on the famous tourist and commercial Las Ramblas Avenue in Barcelona.

The plan was for Spain to become the scene of unprecedented destruction in Europe, if it wasn’t for a mistake by terrorists that was discovered later after an explosion at a building they were renting in the Catalan town of Alcanar.

The explosives were stored incorrectly alongside a large number of gas cylinders being prepared for the three attacks. Thus, the terrorists decided to change their plan and instead used a van to plow through pedestrians.

The attack indicates several facts, including that the plot to bomb these key sites aimed to put Spain under the siege of terrorism, similar to the 9/11 attacks targeting symbols of US might, and thus send a message that the group is not dead despite seeming to be stamped out in Iraq and Syria. This is evident in Islamic State (IS) claiming responsibility for the attack, and its “preachers” in Huwaiji, Iraq, distributing flyers threatening Europe, the US and Britain with more attacks.

Second, the explosives stockpile at Alcanar was stored for one year, which means the group was preparing for this new phase for some time. IS spokesman Abu Mohamed al-Adnani said as much in his last message before he was killed, noting IS would not die in Raqqa and Mosul, and this is not the end of the road.

Third, at structural level, the group is unlike others, especially al-Qaeda that splintered, dispersed and weakened. Instead, it will evolve into branches that are organised and capable of fresh attacks. The Spain attack also seems synchronised with stabbing attacks in Finland and Russia.