Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy presides over an extraordinary cabinet meeting at Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, August 16, 2017. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the van attack in Barcelona on Thursday that has killed at least 13 people was “jihadist terrorism” which required a global response.

“Today the fight against terrorism is the principal priority for free and open societies like ours. It is a global threat and the response has to be global,” Rajoy told a news conference in Barcelona.

He said he would call on other Spanish political parties to reaffirm the country’s anti-terrorism pact.