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Five terrorists have died in Cambrils, Spain in what authorities are calling a possible second terrorist attack as the country was already reeling from the earlier car ramming in Barcelona that killed 13 people and injured up to 100.
Some news reports said the second attack was thwarted, but others said as many as six bystanders were injured, including one critically, in a possible new but unconfirmed car ramming incident.
Police in Spain say they moved to counter a 2nd terrorist attack, this one in the town of Cambrils, about 70 miles south of Barcelona.
There was also an explosion in Alcanar, and reports ABC News, Spanish police say all three may be linked in a chaotic series of incidents that left a trail of dead and wounded.
The dramatic sequence of events in Cambrils, Spain, unfolded just hours after the first terrorist attack, which ISIS claimed via its Amaq news agency. Spanish police said there were at least three terrorists involved in the first attack.
Cambrils is located southwest of Barcelona.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Terrorists Tried to Ram Into a Group of People in Cambrils Too, Some Reports Say
Cambrils is a seaside resort not far from Barcelona. It’s there, police say, that a group of terrorists they’re linking to the Barcelona attacks tried to stage another car ramming incident.
“In Cambrils seven people including a police officer were wounded when a car was driven into a group early on Friday, Catalan emergency services said,” according to BBC.
The car flipped over and the men alighted from it, reported BBC.
https://twitter.com/mariatad/status/898346734971084800
The situation was very chaotic, and it was not yet clear how coordinated the attacks were and how many terrorists were involved in all.
2. Four Terrorists Were Slain by Police at the Scene
Ahora mismo en #Cambrils (no son imágenes fuertes, solo se escuchan tiros). Primero en frente de mi casa y ahora en la de mis padres…
El Pais, a Spanish language news site, reported that the terrorists in Cambrils were slain by police.
According to BBC, Spanish police say they believe they thwarted a more serious attack by slaying the men.
The four attackers were in an Audi, according to the news site. Alex Folch, 28, told CNN that he witnessed the aftermath and saw one of the terrorists lying on the ground with a belt around his waist; according to CNN, authorities are trying to determine whether the men were wearing explosive belts.
3. A Fifth Terrorist Was Shot When He Tried to Stab People, Reports Say
Four terrorists shot dead in #Cambrils as second attack rocks #Spain: t.co/meTn8MK4kO
El Pais reported that the fifth terrorist in Cambrils took off on foot.
The terrorist was “shot when he tried to stab the passers-by” and may have been wearing an explosives belt, El Pais reported. According to El Pais, the Spanish government was warned by the CIA two months ago “of the risk of attack in the Catalan capital. US intelligence went a step further: it pointed to Las Ramblas (where the first attack took place this afternoon) as a possible target of terrorists.”
4. There Was Also an Explosion in a House That Might Be Connected
Felt the explosion while on a walk in #alcanar praying everyone is ok 🙏🏻
According to CNN, there was a third possibly related incident that occurred before Barcelona.
“Police are working on the assumption that the terrorists (in Cambrils) were connected to the Barcelona van attack and an incident in Alcanar, where one person died in an explosion at a house,” reported CNN.
BBC reported that the man in the house may have been preparing for another attack. “Police chief Josep Lluis Trapero said it appeared the residents at the Alcanar house had been ‘preparing an explosive device,'” BBC reported.
Photos showed the explosion was massive.
#BREAKING: Spain: Wednesday’s house explosion in Alcanar, killing 1 injuring 7, linked to today’s van attack; 10+ gascanistets found
“We work on the hypothesis that the terrorists killed in Cambrils would be related to the events in Barcelona and Alcanar,” police said to ABC News.
5. The Attack in Barcelona Killed at Least 13 People & Left 100 Wounded
GettyMedical teams in Barcelona attend to the wounded on August 17.
Earlier in the day on August 17, a van plowed into a crowd of pedestrians along a busy promenade in Barcelona.
As many as 13 people were left dead and 100 wounded in a graphic scene of bloodied sidewalks and crumpled bodies that has become an all-too familiar modus operandi for terrorist attacks.
Police identified a Moroccan-born man as a suspect early on. However, that man, Driss Oukabir while under arrest, according to The Guardian, claimed to police that his identity was stolen and that he was not involved. It remains unclear what the official police stance is on that man.
Two people – whose names are not clear – were arrested, but the driver remains at large, reports NBC.
This post will be updated as more is learned.