Barcelona: Van hits crowd near Las Ramblas tourist spot

One woman, Heather Heyer, was killed, 20 others were injured.

The Mossos d’Esquadra force did not indicate if the incident was related to the van attack in the city’s Las Ramblas district. Police reportedly concluded the attack was a terrorist action.

A woman walks with upset children on the sidewalk after a van drove into a crowd in Barcelona on August 17, 2017.

Police said that people had been killed in the crash and that there were also injured, but they did not confirm the number of victims.

Police also said a driver had run over two police officers in a town north of the city, but it was not clear if this was related to the attack.

In the years since the 2004 Madrid bombings, Spanish authorities have reported arresting almost 200 jihadis, but the only deadly attacks were claimed by the Basque separatist group ETA. “There are still bodies just lying around on the pavement”. “People just heaved around the corner, screaming in Spanish”. However, Catalan police later denied the claims, saying no suspects were holed up in a restaurant.

Catalan parliamentary speaker Carme Forcadell said her heart “shrunk” with the news from Barcelona.

He said that people had taken refuge in nearby stores.

Other video recorded people screaming as they fled the van.

Ethan Spibey, a charity director, was on holiday with his boyfriend and noticed police as he was walking down the street. A helicopter hovered over the scene.

The U.S consulate in Barcelona said on Twitter it was “aware of a reported incident at Las Ramblas in Barcelona”. Authorities were urging everyone in Barcelona to avoid the area and remain calm. “If you use social media, be sure to update your status”, the consulate tweeted. Moussa lives in Barcelona, while Driss is a French national.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the terror attack on its news agency’s Amaq.

He said police boarded the bus and told everyone to get off – and to stay away from Las Ramblas.

La Ramblas boulevard, shown here in 2006, has traffic lanes for cars along the outer edge, and a wide pedestrian walkway running down the middle.