A man arrested in connection with the terrorist attack in Barcelona claims his younger brother stole his identity documents in order to rent the van used to mow down innocents in La Rambla, it has been reported.

Driss Oukabir, said to be 28, was arrested in the Catalan town of Ripoll and told police his younger brother, Moussa, had stolen his ID, according to Spanish media.

Mr Oukabir is of Moroccan origin and holds French citizenship, La Vanguardia reported. The site said he lives in Ripoll, a town some 60 miles north of Barcelona.

RTVE said Mr Oukabir went voluntarily to police in Ripoll to report that his identity documents had been stolen.

His brother, 18, has been named as a suspect in the attack that killed 13 and left 100 injured.

It has been claimed that a social media post in his name, on the Kiwi site, had called for the killing of infidels.