UPDATE: 1 American killed in Spain vehicle attacks
By: The Associated Press
Email: news@abc6.com
Twitter: @ABC6
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The State Department says at least one American was killed and one was injured in the terrorist attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils, Spain.
The department said Friday that diplomats from the U.S. consulate in Barcelona are continuing to work with local authorities to identify victims and provide assistance to Americans.
The department did not identify either of the Americans, but said the injured person suffered only a minor wound.
Spanish police have confirmed that at least four terror suspects were shot and killed in a separate alleged terror attack south of Barcelona.
Police tweeted that they “have shot down the perpetrators” in response to a terrorist attack.
Spain’s public broadcaster, RTVE, reported that the suspects may have been carrying suicide explosive belts.
The broadcaster said the suspects tried to carry out a similar attack to the one in Barcelona, which left 13 people dead earlier Thursday, by driving a vehicle into pedestrians.
It said seven people were injured by the suspects, two seriously.
UPDATE as of 4:03 p.m.
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the van attack in Barcelona that officials say killed 12 people and injured many others.
A statement carried by the extremist group’s media arm, the Aamaq news agency, says Thursday’s attack was carried out by “soldiers of the Islamic State.”
It says the attack was in response to IS calls for its followers to target countries participating in the coalition trying to drive the extremist group from Syria and Iraq.
The statement provided no further details about the attackers.
—
Spain’s El Pais newspaper says that Barcelona police are treating the van crash as a terror attack.
Authorities say a van mounted a sidewalk in the iconic Las Ramblas area of Barcelona, slamming into a crowd of pedestrians. Local media reports say there are several injured.
El Pais newspaper, citing unnamed police sources, also reported that the perpetrators are holed up in a nearby bar. Some local media have reported bursts of gunfire.
Barcelona police, in a tweet, told people to stay away from the center of the city because of a “large contingent of security forces and emergency services” deployed in the area.
©WLNE-TV / ABC6 2017
