Barcelona attack: Main suspect shot dead by police
Younes Abouyaaqoub, the man whom police believe to be the main suspect in recent Barcelona vehicle attack has been shot by the Spanish police. Abouyaaqoub is believed to have driven the van in Las Ramblas which killed 13 and injured several others. The police had been conducting an ongoing manhunt for those involved in the attack and acted on a tip-off. Let's see what happened.
Series of attacks around Barcelona
Wednesday: An explosion occurred in a house which was used to stock gas cylinders in Alcanar, 200-km away from Barcelona. Thursday: A van drove into the crowd at Barcelona's La Ramblas area, killing 13 and injuring many others. Soon after, a van charged at police officers at Las Ramblas in the outskirts of Barcelona. Friday: A vehicle attack in Cambrils, South Barcelona killing one woman.
Who are the suspects?
Five suspects including teenagers, Moussa Oukabir and Said Aallaa were shot dead, While Moussa's brother, Sahaal el-Karib directly approached the police saying his identity was stolen, Sahal el-Karib, Mohammed Aallaa were also arrested. Amaq, the IS news agency further reported that the attack was carried out by 'Islamic State soldiers', although it is not clear whether they were merely inspired by IS ideology.
Police locate and shoot Abouyaaqoub
Police acted on a tip-off from a petrol station employee and found Abouyaaqoub hidden in the vineyards. This happened at the Subirats area, located around 40 km West of Barcelona. Abouyaaqoub was reportedly wearing a fake explosive belt and shouted 'Allahu Akbar' when he got shot. The police then used a robot to examine the explosive belt, before officially identifying him.
Where is the investigation currently at?
The police recently discovered that a 12-member terrorist cell is behind the attacks. They theorized that the attackers stocked over 120 gas cylinders to be used in further attacks, but the plan was foiled after the Alcanar explosion. Remains of one of the persons found at Alcanar was further confirmed to be of Imam Es Satty's, who reportedly radicalized several youth in Ripoll, Barcelona.
