Terror Attack in Barcelona (Spain)

[Tender Branson]

A bus has hit people in Barcelona today, with several injured.

Then some men opened fire at a restaurant. 2 dead.

It's unclear if the men in the restaurant are the drivers of the bus, or other attackers.

http://derstandard.at/2000062788040/Fahrzeug-fuhr-in-Barcelona-in-Menschenmenge

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Since when has a vehicle become the new weapon choice of terrorists (and nazi's here)?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

The suspects might still be on the run. Yikes.

[Helsinkian]

Based on the videos on Twitter, the death toll is going to be more than just a few.

[Tender Branson]

The death toll has been updated to 10 (El Pais) or 13 (local Catalonia TV stations).

The El Mundo video of the pedestrian zone is pretty ugly (I'd advise you not to watch it).

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

I really shouldn't have watched that, ugh.

Apparently there's a hostage situation developing.

[swl]

I currently live 100 meters away from that place, in one of the streets perpendicular to la Rambla and walk the whole Rambla every day on my way to and from work. I am on holidays so not there right now.
La Rambla is very crowded with tourists and most victim will be foreigners (locals tend to avoid that place).

There are always armed policemen on the street but there is not much they can do against this type of attack.

[President Johnson]

According to first German television, one person has been arrested (Tagesschau (in German)). Hostage situation has been denied by authorities.

Obviously bombs and guns are more and more obsolete for these sick guys.

[SoLongAtlas]

http://www.elmundo.es/cataluna/2017/08/17/5995d32d468aeb0d4c8b45b7.html

The suspect is Driss Oukabir, blurb below from El Mundo:

"In it you could read that the young man has a relationship, that his favorite series is Prison Break, his favorite channel MTV and, like favorite books, the Koran. Among the pages that followed stood out 'Brothers united by Islam' or 'Moroccans for Europe'. It also highlighted a photograph that had been uploaded from 'Mafia Maghrebine', a youth band that was disarticulated in 2013 after carrying out numerous robberies to minors and making Islamist apology in favor of the maghreb and its culture."

CNN‏Verified account @CNN  4 minutes ago
 BREAKING: 13 people dead in #Barcelona van attack, more than 50 others injured, Catalan  government official says http://cnn.it/2iaw32N

[Helsinkian]

Trump weighs in:

"Study what General Pershing of the United States did to terrorists when caught. There was no more Radical Islamic Terror for 35 years!"
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/898254409511129088

I guess this refers to the "dipping bullets in pig's blood" thing that has been circulated for a while online, though I thought it had been debunked?

http://www.snopes.com/rumors/pershing.asp

[SoLongAtlas]

Trump weighs in:

"Study what General Pershing of the United States did to terrorists when caught. There was no more Radical Islamic Terror for 35 years!"
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/898254409511129088

I guess this refers to the "dipping bullets in pig's blood" thing that has been circulated for a while online, though I thought it had been debunked?

http://www.snopes.com/rumors/pershing.asp

Yes. No evidence that Pershing ever ordered it but it is a popular idea on the right re the pig blood, making the eat pork idea but would only inflame the situation.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Since when has a vehicle become the new weapon choice of terrorists (and nazi's here)?

Pure expediency I'd say.

[dead0man]

Since when has a vehicle become the new weapon choice of terrorists (and nazi's here)?

It became very popular with Palestinians a few years ago.  And like states everywhere, they export the thing they're good at.

[Lachi]

The death toll reached 16 a couple of hours ago, with at least 100 injured.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-18/barcelona-van-crashes-into-dozens-of-people-on-las-ramblas/8818326

[SoLongAtlas]

Second attack in Cambrils, police shot and killed five terrorists. Details at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/18/barcelona-terror-attack-cambrils-las-ramblas-latest/

[swl]

Police is linking this attack with the explosion of a house near Barcelona that blew up the night before. They say there were around 20 gas bottles in the house when it exploded.
Rumors are that the initial plan to use the rented vans as car bombs but it failed when the house exploded, so the remaining terrorists changed the plan.

With the people killed/injured in the house explosion + the 5 killed during the night + van driver (18 years old boy still on the run) we are talking of 10 people at least.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Since when has a vehicle become the new weapon choice of terrorists (and nazi's here)?

It became very popular with Palestinians a few years ago.  And like states everywhere, they export the thing they're good at.

Not that's it very original.

[rob in cal]

  This attack could have been far worse.  If there are at least 10 known terrorists involved who knows who many others were part of logistic support etc.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Interesting timing with that independence referendum on October 1st.

[Tender Branson]

Interesting timing with that independence referendum on October 1st.

That's probably the last thing Muslim terrorists have in mind during such an attack ...

They mostly do it because the IS caliphate is on the verge of final destruction, so they carry out attacks "at home" (which is where they do not belong in the first place).

[Former President tack50]

Interesting timing with that independence referendum on October 1st.

Almost certainly unrelated to it. Though Spain is no stranger to terrorists trying to influence elections (see: 2004 general election), but I seriously doubt the attack was influenced by it. Hell, even for the 2004 one the symbolism of it happening exactly 2 and a half years after 9-11 was stronger with the election being an afterthought.

[Helsinkian]

There are reports that the terrorists' original plan was to blow up the Sagrada Familia cathedral with a van filled with explosives.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

There are reports that the terrorists' original plan was to blow up the Sagrada Familia cathedral with a van filled with explosives.

Would have to be a pretty big van...

This plot does seem darkly hilarious in how incompetently it was hatched. It's lucky that terrorists are halfwitted, I guess.