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Barcelona Reels From Deadly Terror Attack

Barcelona is still reeling from the two recent deadly terror attacks although life seems to have returned to normal in the Spanish city. Advertisement At … Continue reading Barcelona Reels From Deadly Terror Attack


Barcelona is still reeling from the two recent deadly terror attacks although life seems to have returned to normal in the Spanish city.

At around 17:00 on Thursday, a van ploughed into a crowd of people in Barcelona’s Las Ramblas, a street popular with tourists, killing at least 13 people and injuring more than 100 others. The Islamic State (IS) group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

In a separate attack, a vehicle carrying five terrorists rammed into a crowd of pedestrians in the seaside town of Cambrils, some 120 kilometers from Barcelona, early on Friday, reportedly killing one people and injuring five others, including three police officers. All of the terrorists were shot dead by police.

On Friday at noon, thousands of people gathered in Catalonia Square for a minute of silence to honor the victims of the two terror attacks.

The event was attended by Spain’s King Felipe VI and the country’s prime minister, Mariano Rajoy.

As the silence came to an end, the crowd began to applaud.

On the same day, police removed the cordon at the attack scene in Barcelona. Public transportation resumed and stores also reopened.

The Spanish flag remained at half-mast as mourners arrived one after another at Las Ramblas to pay tribute to the victims.

In the meantime, fear lingered among the people in the city, which is also one of Europe’s top tourist destinations.

“The terror attack that happened yesterday was just horrible. It made every one of us anxious. Barcelona is a cosmopolitan city. Yesterday’s attack was so horrible. I cannot understand how could this happen,” said Jose, an eyewitness of Thursday’s attack.

The authorities said an explosion on Wednesday evening in Alcanar, south of Barcelona, was connected to the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils.

Police seemed to believe the two attacks had been planned by a 12-member terrorist cell. So far, they have arrested four suspects.