Barcelona attack – ‘Two killed and many injured’ after truck ploughs into pedestrians along Las Ramblas tourist hotspot before ‘two armed men take hostages in restaurant’
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By Neal Baker, Guy Burchall, Gemma Mullin and Sam Webb
17th August 2017, 4:40 pm
Updated: 17th August 2017, 5:17 pm
A VAN has ploughed into pedestrians in Barcelona in an apparent terror attack leaving two dead and dozens injured.
And reports say that a hostage situation involving two armed men is ongoing at a nearby restaurant.
Armed police have stormed La Boqueria open-air market amid claims that terrorists are armed with rifles.
Eyewitness footage and photos from the scene show a huge emergency response after the smash on the iconic Las Ramblas tourist hotspot.
People have been told to avoid the area as emergency services react to a "serious incident" in the Spanish city.
Metro lines have been shut and shoppers and pedestrians have been seen running into buildings as armed police flooded the area.
Testimonies suggest the van careered into pedestrians as they crossed the road .
Police have confirmed that the "massive crash" involved a white van mounting the pavement.
They are treating the crash as a terror attack.
And witnesses have told of hearing gunshots, although this has not been confirmed.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy says he is in contact with all authorities.
Local outlet El Pais claims that police sources have said that the driver ran away from the van on foot after the smash.
An operation is now reportedly underway to apprehend the person who was at the wheel.
Other unverified reports from local TV channel TV3 say two armed men are holding hostages in a nearby Turkish restaurant.
Cops have ordered shops and cafes in the area to shut in the wake of the crash and are searching for a person between five foot five and five foot six dressed in blue and white striped clothes.
The van entered the pedestrian area at the junction of Las Ramblas and Placa Catalunya.
Reports say the van ploughed into people outside a Kosher food shop, although this is yet to be confirmed.
Marc Esparcia, a 20-year-old student who lives in Barcelona, told the BBC: "There was a loud noise and everybody ran for cover.
"There were a lot people, lots of families [at the site], this is one of the most visited sites in Barcelona.
"I think several people were hit. It was horrible, there was panic. Terrible."
He said he was now taking cover inside a Starbucks coffee shop.
Eyewitness Amar Anwar, human rights lawyer, told Sky News: "I did not see the van mount the pavement. I heard the crash.
"People started screaming and everybody ran in the opposite direction.
"The shopkeeper we spoke to said a van had mounted the pavement and driven into a crowd and at least five or six people, he thought, were very seriously injured."
The President of Catalonia, the autonomous Spanish state where Barcelona is the capital, was heading to the scene.
The British Foreign Office guidance for Spain reads: "Terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Spain."Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners.
"Spanish police have disrupted a number of groups suspected of recruiting individuals to travel to Syria and Iraq from 2015 to the present date.
"Some of them expressed an intention to carry out attacks in Europe.
"There’s a heightened threat of terrorist attack globally against UK interests and British nationals from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria."
More to follow...
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https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4265241/barcelona-truck-crash-las-ramblas-latest/
My comments: Spain and Europe will live in FEAR from now on.
My comments: Spain and Europe will live in FEAR from now on.
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