Spain Terror: American Among fourteen Killed in Van and Car Attacks – NBC News
Spain Terror: American Among fourteen Killed in Van and Car Attacks
by Alexander Smith , Alastair Jamieson , Keir Simmons and Kiko Itasaka
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A major anti-terrorism operation was underway in Spain on Friday after a van plowed into crowds on Barcelona’s La Rambla tourist hot spot killing thirteen people and wounding more than 100, before a car hit several people in a resort further down the Spanish coast, killing one woman.
As security compels hunted the Barcelona van’s driver, who was seen escaping on foot, six people and a police officer were run down by a car in a separate attack eight hours later in Cambrils, a town south of the city.
Police shot dead five of the Cambrils attackers, who were wearing fake suicide belts. One woman hit in the 2nd attack died Friday of her injuries.
- Embed
Both attacks were also related to an explosion Wednesday at a third location in a province about one hundred miles southwest of Barcelona that left one person dead.
Four suspects have been detained in separate arrests across the region.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson confirmed Friday that one of those killed in the attacks was an American. The state department also confirmed another U.S. citizen had suffered minor injuries, but did not release further details out of respect to the grieving families.
Tillerson said during a press conference Friday: “We express our deepest sympathies to the loved ones of this individual and obviously others who have suffered loss of life.”
On Friday, crowds lined up to inject the Plaza de Cataluña, a large square at the top of La Rambla, where a minute’s muffle was being held for the victims.
Sec. Tillerson confirms death of US citizen in terrorist attacks in #Spain; voices sympathies & offers thoughts and prayers. #Barcelona pic.twitter.com/Qslz4gKKd2
— Department of State (@StateDept) August Eighteen, two thousand seventeen
Spain’s King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, along with Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont, stood in front of the crowd.
After it had passed, they broke out into chants of “I am not afraid! I am not afraid!”
Here’s what we know about the incidents so far:
- 13 people were confirmed dead, more than one hundred injured at La Rambla
- The van driver was seen fleeing the scene
- ISIS claimed responsibility, but suggested no proof
- The United States urged Americans in Barcelona to avoid the area
- One woman died, five civilians and one police officer were wounded in Cambrils, five attackers shot dead
- Four people arrested across the region in connection with both incidents
- The victims came from thirty four countries
- One American has been killed, another injured
- 26 French and thirteen German citizens were among the injured
- U.K. officials are checking reports of a missing child with dual British citizenship
The ISIS-affiliated Amaq news agency said the extremist group was responsible for Thursday’s deadly rampage in Barcelona, but ISIS has produced no evidence in support of the claim.
The incident eyed a van zigzag for several hundred yards along the pedestrian boulevard teeming with merchants, street performers and tourists.
“Next thing I know there’s screaming yelling,” said Heidi Nunes, a 40-year-old teacher from Walnut Creek, California. “I got shoved inwards the souvenir kiosk and stayed there hiding while everybody kept running by screaming.”
That was the last time Nunes witnessed her spouse, 42-year-old construction worker Jared Tucker, and is now despairingly attempting to find him in the Catalan city.
“All of a sudden everyone starts screaming and running and falling over each other and howling,” added Rachel Mersky, a product designer from Oakland, California, who was also vacationing in Barcelona. “So clearly I began running too.”
Movie and photos of the aftermath displayed bloodied victims sprawled on the mall amid debris and scrambling emergency workers. Police moved through nearby streets with guns drawn.
Several American guys’s college basketball teams were in the city for a series of exhibition matches. Some, including Clemson University and Oregon State, have reported their teams are OK.
Hours later, at one a.m. Friday morning (7 p.m. ET Thursday), another attack struck the seaside resort of Cambrils, around one hundred miles to the southwest.
Ruben Soira, the proprietor and chef at the Club Nàutic Cambrils restaurant, said he spotted “a car accelerate truly hard and . ram into the police and then roll over.”
Fright quickly spread over the promenade.
“You could hear fountains shots and everyone embarked to run and we hid inwards the restaurant,” he said. “Some people were still outside and commenced to clamber into the restaurant through the window and, well, we eyed people dead, wearing explosives. The explosives were [later discovered to be] fake.”
Pictures from the scene showcased a black car, presumed to be the one driven by the attackers, lounging on its roof with the windows cracked.
The Barcelona attack was the deadliest terror incident in Spain since March 2004, when almost two hundred people were killed by bombs planted on four commuter trains in Madrid.
It was the sixth deadly attack in Europe involving a car or truck in the past thirteen months; the others occurred in Nice, Berlin, London and Stockholm.
Spain’s history of terrorism goes much further back. The country battled a decades-long campaign by the Basque separatist group ETA, which relinquished its arms earlier this year.
Since the two thousand four bombings, authorities have arrested dozens suspected of terrorism, including members of a suspected ISIS cell in June.
Because of its proximity to North Africa, Spain is seen as a transit point for radicalized Islamist fighters. In 2015, authorities broke up an alleged ISIS-linked group they said was planning an attack in Madrid. In March, authorities seized thousands of weapons they said were strapped for terrorist groups.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson voiced condolences for the victims and said the United States was monitoring the situation and suggesting assistance to local authorities. He urged Americans in Barcelona to let loved ones know whether they were safe.
President Donald Trump tweeted condemnation of the attack and urged Spain to be “rough and strong.
Spain Terror: American Among fourteen Killed in Van and Car Attacks – NBC News
Spain Terror: American Among fourteen Killed in Van and Car Attacks
by Alexander Smith , Alastair Jamieson , Keir Simmons and Kiko Itasaka
- Share
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- Tweet
A major anti-terrorism operation was underway in Spain on Friday after a van plowed into crowds on Barcelona’s La Rambla tourist hot spot killing thirteen people and wounding more than 100, before a car hit several people in a resort further down the Spanish coast, killing one woman.
As security compels hunted the Barcelona van’s driver, who was seen escaping on foot, six people and a police officer were run down by a car in a separate attack eight hours later in Cambrils, a town south of the city.
Police shot dead five of the Cambrils attackers, who were wearing fake suicide belts. One woman hit in the 2nd attack died Friday of her injuries.
- Embed
Both attacks were also related to an explosion Wednesday at a third location in a province about one hundred miles southwest of Barcelona that left one person dead.
Four suspects have been detained in separate arrests across the region.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson confirmed Friday that one of those killed in the attacks was an American. The state department also confirmed another U.S. citizen had suffered minor injuries, but did not release further details out of respect to the grieving families.
Tillerson said during a press conference Friday: “We express our deepest sympathies to the loved ones of this individual and obviously others who have suffered loss of life.”
On Friday, crowds lined up to inject the Plaza de Cataluña, a large square at the top of La Rambla, where a minute’s muffle was being held for the victims.
Sec. Tillerson confirms death of US citizen in terrorist attacks in #Spain; voices sympathies & offers thoughts and prayers. #Barcelona pic.twitter.com/Qslz4gKKd2
— Department of State (@StateDept) August Legitimate, two thousand seventeen
Spain’s King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, along with Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont, stood in front of the crowd.
After it had passed, they broke out into chants of “I am not afraid! I am not afraid!”
Here’s what we know about the incidents so far:
- 13 people were confirmed dead, more than one hundred injured at La Rambla
- The van driver was seen fleeing the scene
- ISIS claimed responsibility, but suggested no proof
- The United States urged Americans in Barcelona to avoid the area
- One woman died, five civilians and one police officer were wounded in Cambrils, five attackers shot dead
- Four people arrested across the region in connection with both incidents
- The victims came from thirty four countries
- One American has been killed, another injured
- 26 French and thirteen German citizens were among the injured
- U.K. officials are checking reports of a missing child with dual British citizenship
The ISIS-affiliated Amaq news agency said the extremist group was responsible for Thursday’s deadly rampage in Barcelona, but ISIS has produced no evidence in support of the claim.
The incident spotted a van zigzag for several hundred yards along the pedestrian boulevard teeming with merchants, street performers and tourists.
“Next thing I know there’s screaming yelling,” said Heidi Nunes, a 40-year-old teacher from Walnut Creek, California. “I got shoved inwards the souvenir kiosk and stayed there hiding while everybody kept running by screaming.”
That was the last time Nunes spotted her spouse, 42-year-old construction worker Jared Tucker, and is now despairingly attempting to find him in the Catalan city.
“All of a sudden everyone starts screaming and running and falling over each other and blubbering,” added Rachel Mersky, a product designer from Oakland, California, who was also vacationing in Barcelona. “So clearly I commenced running too.”
Movie and photos of the aftermath demonstrated bloodied victims sprawled on the mall amid debris and scrambling emergency workers. Police moved through nearby streets with guns drawn.
Several American dudes’s college basketball teams were in the city for a series of exhibition matches. Some, including Clemson University and Oregon State, have reported their teams are OK.
Hours later, at one a.m. Friday morning (7 p.m. ET Thursday), another attack struck the seaside resort of Cambrils, around one hundred miles to the southwest.
Ruben Soira, the holder and chef at the Club Nàutic Cambrils restaurant, said he eyed “a car accelerate truly hard and . ram into the police and then roll over.”
Funk quickly spread over the promenade.
“You could hear fountains shots and everyone commenced to run and we hid inwards the restaurant,” he said. “Some people were still outside and began to clamber into the restaurant through the window and, well, we spotted people dead, wearing explosives. The explosives were [later discovered to be] fake.”
Pics from the scene displayed a black car, presumed to be the one driven by the attackers, lounging on its roof with the windows violated.
The Barcelona attack was the deadliest terror incident in Spain since March 2004, when almost two hundred people were killed by bombs planted on four commuter trains in Madrid.
It was the sixth deadly attack in Europe involving a car or truck in the past thirteen months; the others occurred in Nice, Berlin, London and Stockholm.
Spain’s history of terrorism goes much further back. The country battled a decades-long campaign by the Basque separatist group ETA, which relinquished its arms earlier this year.
Since the two thousand four bombings, authorities have arrested dozens suspected of terrorism, including members of a suspected ISIS cell in June.
Because of its proximity to North Africa, Spain is seen as a transit point for radicalized Islamist fighters. In 2015, authorities broke up an alleged ISIS-linked group they said was planning an attack in Madrid. In March, authorities seized thousands of weapons they said were corded for terrorist groups.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson voiced condolences for the victims and said the United States was monitoring the situation and suggesting assistance to local authorities. He urged Americans in Barcelona to let loved ones know whether they were safe.
President Donald Trump tweeted condemnation of the attack and urged Spain to be “rough and strong.
Spain Terror: American Among fourteen Killed in Van and Car Attacks – NBC News
Spain Terror: American Among fourteen Killed in Van and Car Attacks
by Alexander Smith , Alastair Jamieson , Keir Simmons and Kiko Itasaka
- Share
- Share
- Tweet
A major anti-terrorism operation was underway in Spain on Friday after a van plowed into crowds on Barcelona’s La Rambla tourist hot spot killing thirteen people and wounding more than 100, before a car hit several people in a resort further down the Spanish coast, killing one woman.
As security compels hunted the Barcelona van’s driver, who was seen escaping on foot, six people and a police officer were run down by a car in a separate attack eight hours later in Cambrils, a town south of the city.
Police shot dead five of the Cambrils attackers, who were wearing fake suicide belts. One woman hit in the 2nd attack died Friday of her injuries.
- Embed
Both attacks were also related to an explosion Wednesday at a third location in a province about one hundred miles southwest of Barcelona that left one person dead.
Four suspects have been detained in separate arrests across the region.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson confirmed Friday that one of those killed in the attacks was an American. The state department also confirmed another U.S. citizen had suffered minor injuries, but did not release further details out of respect to the grieving families.
Tillerson said during a press conference Friday: “We express our deepest sympathies to the loved ones of this individual and obviously others who have suffered loss of life.”
On Friday, crowds lined up to inject the Plaza de Cataluña, a large square at the top of La Rambla, where a minute’s muffle was being held for the victims.
Sec. Tillerson confirms death of US citizen in terrorist attacks in #Spain; voices sympathies & offers thoughts and prayers. #Barcelona pic.twitter.com/Qslz4gKKd2
— Department of State (@StateDept) August Legal, two thousand seventeen
Spain’s King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, along with Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont, stood in front of the crowd.
After it had passed, they broke out into chants of “I am not afraid! I am not afraid!”
Here’s what we know about the incidents so far:
- 13 people were confirmed dead, more than one hundred injured at La Rambla
- The van driver was seen fleeing the scene
- ISIS claimed responsibility, but suggested no proof
- The United States urged Americans in Barcelona to avoid the area
- One woman died, five civilians and one police officer were wounded in Cambrils, five attackers shot dead
- Four people arrested across the region in connection with both incidents
- The victims came from thirty four countries
- One American has been killed, another injured
- 26 French and thirteen German citizens were among the injured
- U.K. officials are checking reports of a missing child with dual British citizenship
The ISIS-affiliated Amaq news agency said the extremist group was responsible for Thursday’s deadly rampage in Barcelona, but ISIS has produced no evidence in support of the claim.
The incident witnessed a van zigzag for several hundred yards along the pedestrian boulevard teeming with merchants, street performers and tourists.
“Next thing I know there’s screaming yelling,” said Heidi Nunes, a 40-year-old teacher from Walnut Creek, California. “I got shoved inwards the souvenir kiosk and stayed there hiding while everybody kept running by screaming.”
That was the last time Nunes witnessed her hubby, 42-year-old construction worker Jared Tucker, and is now despairingly attempting to find him in the Catalan city.
“Abruptly everyone starts screaming and running and falling over each other and blubbering,” added Rachel Mersky, a product designer from Oakland, California, who was also vacationing in Barcelona. “So clearly I commenced running too.”
Movie and photos of the aftermath showcased bloodied victims sprawled on the mall amid debris and scrambling emergency workers. Police moved through nearby streets with guns drawn.
Several American studs’s college basketball teams were in the city for a series of exhibition matches. Some, including Clemson University and Oregon State, have reported their teams are OK.
Hours later, at one a.m. Friday morning (7 p.m. ET Thursday), another attack struck the seaside resort of Cambrils, around one hundred miles to the southwest.
Ruben Soira, the proprietor and chef at the Club Nàutic Cambrils restaurant, said he eyed “a car accelerate indeed hard and . ram into the police and then roll over.”
Scare quickly spread over the promenade.
“You could hear explosions shots and everyone embarked to run and we hid inwards the restaurant,” he said. “Some people were still outside and commenced to clamber into the restaurant through the window and, well, we eyed people dead, wearing explosives. The explosives were [later discovered to be] fake.”
Pictures from the scene showcased a black car, presumed to be the one driven by the attackers, lounging on its roof with the windows cracked.
The Barcelona attack was the deadliest terror incident in Spain since March 2004, when almost two hundred people were killed by bombs planted on four commuter trains in Madrid.
It was the sixth deadly attack in Europe involving a car or truck in the past thirteen months; the others occurred in Nice, Berlin, London and Stockholm.
Spain’s history of terrorism goes much further back. The country battled a decades-long campaign by the Basque separatist group ETA, which relinquished its arms earlier this year.
Since the two thousand four bombings, authorities have arrested dozens suspected of terrorism, including members of a suspected ISIS cell in June.
Because of its proximity to North Africa, Spain is seen as a transit point for radicalized Islamist fighters. In 2015, authorities broke up an alleged ISIS-linked group they said was planning an attack in Madrid. In March, authorities seized thousands of weapons they said were strapped for terrorist groups.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson voiced condolences for the victims and said the United States was monitoring the situation and suggesting assistance to local authorities. He urged Americans in Barcelona to let loved ones know whether they were safe.
President Donald Trump tweeted condemnation of the attack and urged Spain to be “raunchy and strong.