A dispute has broken out between the Spanish government and the regional authorities in Catalonia over the investigation into the terror cell thought to have carried out the Barcelona van attack this week.

Spain’s interior minister Juan Ignacio Zoido said at a news conference on Saturday that the alleged cell responsible for the attacks had been “dismantled” and its members all arrested – but his local counterpart appeared to contradict him, suggesting more arrests could follow.

It comes as police continue to search for 22-year-old Moroccan national Younes Abouyaaqoub, who has become the focus of the investigation into the van attack after five of his alleged co-conspirators were shot dead by police on Friday.

“The cell has been fully dismantled in Barcelona, after examining the people who died, the people who were arrested and carrying out identity checks,” Mr Zodio told a news conference on Saturday.

He also said the country would not raise its terror threat level the maximum on the scale – though he would send “special protection” to potential terror targets, including tourist hotspots.

But Joaquim Forn, the interior minister for the Catalan government, which crucially commands the Catalan police force leading the investigation, Mossos d’Esquadra, appeared to suggest there were more arrests to be made.

“We can’t say the investigation is finished until we locate or detain all those who we think form part of this terror cell,” he said at a separate briefing.

The Spanish media now says that on-the-run Abouyaaqoub is likely to have been the driver of the van that killed 13 and injured over 100 on Thursday. Moussa Oukabir, 17, who was previously identified as the driver, is thought to be among five men shot by police on Friday after a later attack in Cambrils, an hour and a half drive west of Barcelona, on Friday. Seven victims were injured in that attack, one of whom later died.

Oukabir reportedly died along with Said Aallaa, 19, and Mohamed Hychami, 24, who were part of the group that mounted the attack in Cambrils that left one woman dead and six people injured.

Four men, aged 21, 27, 28 and 34, who were arrested in connection with the attacks remain in custody. Three are Moroccan and one Spanish. Police say none of those arrested was previously known to the security services for terror-related reasons; Oukabir’s older brother, Driss Oukabir, is reported by local media to be one of those detained.

Isis claimed responsibility for both attacks in a statement released on Saturday that attributed the atrocities to “covert units” of “Islamic State soldiers”. The group’s statement however appeared to be riddled with fictions, including a reference to an extra attack on a bar using “light weapons” that did not take place. The statement referred to the victims as Jews and “Crusaders” – a term used to describe Christians and citizens of countries in the US-led coalition against Isis.

There was confusion on Saturday after Spanish media reported that a seven-year-old British-Australian boy caught up in the Barcelona attack had been found safe and well in the hospital. Catalan police later denied these reports, stating: “Neither [are] we were searching [for], nor we have found any lost child in the Barcelona attack. All the victims and injured have been located.”

La Rambla, where the first attack took place, is now the site of extensive floral tributes and messages of solidarity from visitors from around the world, with tourists returning to the tree-lined boulevard and local business owners making a concerted effort to go back to work after the dark events of this week.

Spain’s interior minister Juan Ignacio Zoido

Spanish newspaper El Pais says that police believe that explosions reported in the nearby down of Alcanar, two hours drive west of Barcelona, on Wednesday, may have been accidental blast at a bomb-making factory – depriving the alleged terror cell of material.

After the loss of their explosive material the terrorists defaulted to using more low tech methods – the van – to carry out the attack, it was reported.

Barcelona Attack Show all 30 1 /30 Barcelona Attack Barcelona Attack Police officers patrol on Las Ramblas following yesterday's terrorist attack, on August 18, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. Thirteen people were killed and dozens injured when a van hit crowds in the Las Ramblas area of Barcelona on Thursday. Spanish police have also killed five suspected terrorists in the town of Cambrils to stop a second terrorist attack Getty Images Barcelona Attack Tourists and locals walk along Las Ramblas following yesterday's terrorist attack, on August 18, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. Thirteen people were killed and dozens injured when a van hit crowds in the Las Ramblas area of Barcelona on Thursday. Spanish police have also killed five suspected terrorists in the town of Cambrils to stop a second terrorist attack. Getty Images Barcelona Attack Police officers patrol on Las Ramblas following yesterday's terrorist attack, on August 18, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. Thirteen people were killed and dozens injured when a van hit crowds in the Las Ramblas area of Barcelona on Thursday. Spanish police have also killed five suspected terrorists in the town of Cambrils to stop a second terrorist attack. Getty Images Barcelona Attack People leave a fastfood with hands up as asked by policemen after a van ploughed into the crowd, killing two persons and injuring several others on the Rambla in Barcelona on August 17, 2017. A driver deliberately rammed a van into a crowd on Barcelona's most popular street on August 17, 2017 killing at least two people before fleeing to a nearby bar, police said. Officers in Spain's second-largest city said the ramming on Las Ramblas was a "terrorist attack" and a police source said one suspect had left the scene and was "holed up in a bar". The police source said they were hunting for a total of two suspects AFP/Getty Barcelona Attack Police officers tell members of the public to leave the scene in a street in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. Police in the northern Spanish city of Barcelona say a white van has jumped the sidewalk in the city's historic Las Ramblas district, injuring several people. AP Barcelona Attack Injured people react after a van crashed into pedestrians in Las Ramblas, downtown Barcelona, Spain, 17 August 2017. According to initial reports a van crashed into a crowd in Barcelona's famous Placa Catalunya square at Las Ramblas area injuring several. Local media report the van driver ran away, metro and train stations were closed. The number of people injured and the reasons behind the incident are not yet known. Official sources have not confirmed that the incident is a terrorist attack. EPA Barcelona Attack People flee the scene in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017 after a white van jumped the sidewalk in the historic Las Ramblas district, crashing into a summer crowd of residents and tourists and injuring several people, police said. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos) AP Barcelona Attack People are pictured inside Systemaction, a locked down store after a van crashed into crowds on Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain, August 17, 2017. Courtesy Abbie Yermus/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS Barcelona Attack People take shelter inside a shop in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. A white van jumped up onto a sidewalk and sped down a pedestrian zone Thursday in Barcelona's historic Las Ramblas district, swerving from side to side as it plowed into tourists and residents. Police said 13 people were killed and more than 50 wounded in what they called a terror attack. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) AP Barcelona Attack People move from the scene after a van crashed into pedestrians near the Las Ramblas avenue Reuters Barcelona Attack A policeman stands next to an ambulance after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons on the Rambla in Barcelona AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack People are evacuated from a street after a van crashed into pedestrians near the Las Ramblas avenue in central Barcelona, Spain, August 17, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE. Reuters Barcelona Attack Firefighters stands outside an evacuated mall after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons on the Rambla in Barcelona AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack Policemen stand next to vehicles in a cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons on the Rambla in Barcelona AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack Plain-clothes policemen phone as they walk past police cars in a cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons on the Rambla in Barcelona AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack A policemen and a medical staff member stand past police cars and an ambulance in a cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons on the Rambla in Barcelona AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack A person is stretched out of a mall by medical staff members in a cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons on the Rambla in Barcelona on August 17, 2017. Police in Barcelona said they were dealing with a "terrorist attack" after a vehicle ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians on the city's famous Las Ramblas boulevard on August 17, 2017. Police were clearing the area after the incident, which has left a number of people injured. AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack Children, some in tears, are escorted down a road in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. Police in Barcelona say a white van has mounted a sidewalk, struck several people in the city's Las Ramblas district. AP Barcelona Attack Mossos d'Esquadra Police officers and emergency service workers move an injured man, after a van crashes into pedestrians in Las Ramblas, downtown Barcelona, Spain, 17 August 2017. According to initial reports a van crashed into a crowd in Barcelona's famous Placa Catalunya square at Las Ramblas area injuring several. Local media report the van driver ran away, metro and train stations were closed. The number of people injured and the reasons behind the incident are not yet known. Official sources have not confirmed that the incident is a terrorist attack. EPA Barcelona Attack Mossos d'Esquadra Police officers attend injured people after a van crashed into pedestrians in Las Ramblas, downtown Barcelona, Spain, 17 August 2017. According to initial reports a van crashed into a crowd in Barcelona's famous Placa Catalunya square at Las Ramblas area injuring several. Local media report the van driver ran away, metro and train stations were closed. The number of people injured and the reasons behind the incident are not yet known. Official sources have not confirmed that the incident is a terrorist attack. EPA Barcelona Attack Injured people react after a van crashed into pedestrians in Las Ramblas, downtown Barcelona, Spain, 17 August 2017. According to initial reports a van crashed into a crowd in Barcelona's famous Placa Catalunya square at Las Ramblas area injuring several. Local media report the van driver ran away, metro and train stations were closed. The number of people injured and the reasons behind the incident are not yet known. Official sources have not confirmed that the incident is a terrorist attack. EPA Barcelona Attack A police officer cordon off a street in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. Police in the northern Spanish city of Barcelona say a white van has jumped the sidewalk in the city's historic Las Ramblas district, injuring several people. AP Barcelona Attack TOPSHOT - Policemen check the area after towing away the van which ploughed into the crowd, killing at least 13 people and injuring around 100 others on the Rambla in Barcelona, on August 18, 2017. A driver deliberately rammed a van into a crowd on Barcelona's most popular street on August 17, 2017 killing at least 13 people before fleeing to a nearby bar, police said. Officers in Spain's second-largest city said the ramming on Las Ramblas was a "terrorist attack". The driver of a van that mowed into a packed street in Barcelona is still on the run, Spanish police said. / AFP PHOTO / Josep LAGOJOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack TOPSHOT - Armed policemen stand in a cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons on the Rambla in Barcelona on August 17, 2017. Police in Barcelona said they were dealing with a "terrorist attack" after a vehicle ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians on the city's famous Las Ramblas boulevard on August 17, 2017. Police were clearing the area after the incident, which has left a number of people injured. / AFP PHOTO / Josep LAGOJOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Barcelona Attack A man displays flowers at the Canaletas fountain on the Rambla boulevard on August 18, 2017, a day after a van ploughed into the crowd, killing 13 persons and injuring over 100 on the Rambla in Barcelona. Drivers have ploughed on August 17, 2017 into pedestrians in two quick-succession, separate attacks in Barcelona and another popular Spanish seaside city, leaving 13 people dead and injuring more than 100 others. In the first incident, which was claimed by the Islamic State group, a white van sped into a street packed full of tourists in central Barcelona on Thursday afternoon, knocking people out of the way and killing 13 in a scene of chaos and horror. Some eight hours later in Cambrils, a city 120 kilometres south of Barcelona, an Audi A3 car rammed into pedestrians, injuring six civilians -- one of them critical -- and a police officer, authorities said. / AFP PHOTO / Josep LAGOJOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack TOPSHOT - The van who ploughed into the crowd, killing at least 13 people and injuring around 100 others is towed away from the Rambla in Barcelona on August 18, 2017. A driver deliberately rammed a van into a crowd on Barcelona's most popular street on August 17, 2017 killing at least 13 people before fleeing to a nearby bar, police said. Officers in Spain's second-largest city said the ramming on Las Ramblas was a "terrorist attack". The driver of a van that mowed into a packed street in Barcelona is still on the run, Spanish police said. / AFP PHOTO / Josep LAGOJOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Barcelona Attack TOPSHOT - Forensic policemen arrive in the cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd, killing 13 persons and injuring over 80 on the Rambla in Barcelona on August 17, 2017. A driver deliberately rammed a van into a crowd on Barcelona's most popular street on August 17, 2017 killing at least 13 people before fleeing to a nearby bar, police said. Officers in Spain's second-largest city said the ramming on Las Ramblas was a "terrorist attack". / AFP PHOTO / Josep LAGOJOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack TOPSHOT - A person is helped by Spanish policemen and two men after a van ploughed into the crowd, killing at least 13 people and injuring around 100 others on the Rambla in Barcelona on August 17, 2017. A driver deliberately rammed a van into a crowd on Barcelona's most popular street on August 17, 2017 killing at least 13 people before fleeing to a nearby bar, police said. Officers in Spain's second-largest city said the ramming on Las Ramblas was a "terrorist attack". The driver of a van that mowed into a packed street in Barcelona is still on the run, Spanish police said. / AFP PHOTO / Nicolas CARVALHO OCHOANICOLAS CARVALHO OCHOA/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack TOPSHOT - Policemen accompany clients of a store outside a cordoned off off area after a van ploughed into the crowd, killing 13 persons and injuring over 80 on the Rambla in Barcelona on August 17, 2017. A driver deliberately rammed a van into a crowd on Barcelona's most popular street on August 17, 2017 killing at least 13 people before fleeing to a nearby bar, police said. Officers in Spain's second-largest city said the ramming on Las Ramblas was a "terrorist attack". / AFP PHOTO / LLUIS GENELLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack TOPSHOT - Forensic policemen arrive in the cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd, killing at least 13 people and injuring around 100 others on the Rambla in Barcelona. A driver deliberately rammed a van into a crowd on Barcelona's most popular street on August 17, 2017 killing at least 13 people before fleeing to a nearby bar, police said. Officers in Spain's second-largest city said the ramming on Las Ramblas was a "terrorist attack". The driver of a van that mowed into a packed street in Barcelona is still on the run, Spanish police said. / AFP PHOTO / PAU BARRENAPAU BARRENA/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images

Investigators have floated the idea that the cell was building a large scale truck bomb built from gas canisters, and could have planned to carry out multiple attacks at the same time. The explosion on Wednesday ahead of the attack was at the time reported in local media as a gas explosion.