Politics: ISIS claims responsibility after van plows into crowd on busy Barcelona street leaving 13 dead

The Barcelona police say the crash on Las Ramblas, which they are calling a terrorist attack, killed multiple people.

• ISIS has reportedly claimed responsibility for an attack where a van plowed into a crowd in a busy square in Barcelona, Spain, on Thursday, with the police reporting 13 deaths
• The police are calling the incident a terrorist attack and have arrested two suspects
• The area around the crash is still on lockdown

Police have two suspects in custody after a van crashed into a crowd of pedestrians in a tourist-heavy district killing at least 13 on Thursday in Barcelona, Spain, Catalan President Carles Puigdemont said.

The Catalan police are calling the incident a terrorist attack and have confirmed at least 13 deaths and 50 injuries. In a message on ISIS' news service, the terror group claimed responsibility for the attack, though authorities have yet to confirm a link.

Police said the van connected to the attack was rented by a man named Driss Oukabir, reportedly a Moroccan citizen living in France legally. It is unclear whether he is the suspect in custody. La Vanguardia, a Spanish newspaper, reported that a second suspect was killed in a shootout with the police.

It's unclear whether the police have identified additional suspects in the crash. The police dismissed reports from multiple outlets that two armed men had barricaded themselves in a bar near the site of the crash as rumors, though officers were still apparently conducting door-to-door searches as the area around the crash site remained on lockdown for hours.

Reuters, citing police sources, said a second van linked to the crash was found in a small town outside Barcelona. The news agency noted earlier reports from local media suggesting that a second van may have been rented as a getaway vehicle.

A driver of a different vehicle ran over two police officers at a checkpoint in Barcelona, Reuters reports, though it's not clear whether this was related to the earlier attack.

The police said the chaos started when a white van mounted a sidewalk on Plaza de Catalunya, a popular square in Barcelona. The Spanish-language newspaper El País said the driver of the van fled on foot after "mowing down" dozens of people.

"There's a very heavy police presence and what they've been doing is going from establishment to establishment knocking on the doors, knocking on the shutters," John Ward, a resident of Las Ramblas, a pedestrian-heavy street near Plaza de Catalunya, told the BBC. "Now nobody is moving on La Ramblas unless they're under police escort."

"All of a sudden, I just sort of heard a crashing noise and the whole street just started to run, screaming," Aamer Anwar, who was walking on Las Ramblas at the time of the crash, told Sky News. "I saw a woman right next to me screaming for her kids." Other witnesses said the van zigzagged in a way suggesting the driver was trying to hit as many people as possible.

"Police were very, very quickly there, police officers with guns, batons, everywhere," Anwar said. "Then the whole street started getting pushed back."

"Police officers who got there just started screaming at people to move back, move back," Anwar added.

Another witness, Steven Turner, told the BBC he saw "three or four people lying on the ground" after the van "rammed" into people.

"There are lots of ambulances and armed police with assault rifles around now," Turner added.

The White House has said its chief of staff, John Kelly, is aware of the situation and is updating President Donald Trump. The US Consulate is warning people to avoid the area.

"The United States condemns the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, and will do whatever is necessary to help," Trump tweeted. "Be tough & strong, we love you!"

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said at a press conference that terrorists would be "brought to justice."

"Terrorists around the world should know — the United States and our allies are resolved to find you and bring you to justice," Tillerson said, adding that US nationals in Barcelona should check in with their families.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy Brey tweeted that he was "in touch with all authorities" and said the "priority is to attend to the wounded and facilitate the work of first responders and police." Pope Francis and French President Emmanuel Macron have also expressed support for Barcelona and the victims of the attack.

Catalan emergency services have asked to close public transportation in the area of the crash, and they are asking people to stay out of the area.

Vehicles have been used to crash into crowds in attacks inspired by the Islamic State terrorist group across Europe since July 2016, killing dozens of people in London, Stockholm, Berlin, and Nice, France. No group has taken responsibility for Thursday's attack.

The Spanish National Police have asked bystanders not to share photos of the crash out of respect for the victims, but some have still been spreading on social media:

Pictures show emergency services responding:

Sky News has video of the incident, which the reporter described as "pandemonium."

A Twitter user also posted a picture of what appears to be the van:

Here's a map of the area:

Videos show armed police officers looking for the person or people responsible for the crash:

Here are more photos from the scene:

Here's a video showing the suspect's arrest:

This is a developing story.

SOURCE - PULSE.NG posted by Campus94