TERROR IN BARCELONA:
THE man behind the Barcelona terror attack has been shot dead by police after a five-day manhunt.
Wearing what appeared to be a suicide vest, Younes Abouyaaqoub shouted “Allahu Akbar” before being fatally wounded in a hail of bullets after being cornered by marksmen in a vineyard.
Abouyaaqoub, 22, was tracked down to the quiet town of Subirats in Catalonia’s wine-growing region, 50 miles west Barcelona, yesterday.
The van driver, who killed 13 and injured more than 100 on Las Ramblas, was recognised by a woman, who called police around 4.30pm local time.
She shouted to ask him what he was doing, after seeing him acting suspiciously near her house. He fled towards a vineyard, where he was later gunned down by officers who raced to the scene.
At 6.21pm local time, the Catalonian police force tweeted: “We can confirm that the man shot down in Subirats is Younes Abouyaaqoub, author of the terrorist attack in Barcelona.”
Officers later confirmed that the vest was fake, after a robot was sent in to remove it from his body. The shooting came as Europe was in lockdown, with heightened border checks amid fears that Abouyaaqoub had fled the country.
Spanish Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido tweeted: “The fugitive terrorist has been shot down. Thanks to @mossos, @ policia and @guardiacivil for your work and to the public for their cooperation.”
Abouyaaqoub was the only suspect still at large. His mother, Hannou Ghanimi, had appealed for him to surrender. His shooting means all 12 suspects are dead or under arrest.
Catalonia’s police chief, Josep Lluis Trapero, said: “Today, the 12 names we have referred to are in the hands of the justice system or, sadly, as a result of their actions, have been killed.”
He said the investigation will remain open, adding: “We have said that we were opening up the range of relations in the international field and this will develop in the coming weeks.”
Abouyaaqoub abandoned his van on Las Ramblas after the airbag was triggered, immobilising the vehicle’s electrical system. He left the Renault Kangoo and walked through the La Boqueria market, Catalan media has reported. There, police believe he stole a Ford Focus to escape, after stabbing to death its owner, Pau Perez.
Four people have been arrested in connection with the Barcelona attack, including suspected bomb-maker Mohamed Houli Chemlal. Officials believe the group had been plotting a much larger assault. Chemlal was injured when a “bomb factory” in Alcanar containing more than 100 butane and propane gas canisters exploded.
Moroccan-born Abouyaaqoub moved to the Spanish town of Ripoll in 1999, where he is said to have met his accomplices. Yesterday, police confirmed that an imam in Ripoll, Abdelbaki Es Satty, was the mastermind behind the plot. Mr Trapero said that Es Satty, who is said to have brainwashed the terrorists, died in the Alcanar blast. Three vehicles were rented using Abouyaaqoub’s credit card.
Police believe the group wanted to load the vans with explosives for a big attack, but were forced to change their plans after the house in Alcanar blew up.