
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the massacre of 13 innocent pedestrians after a terror attack in the heart of Barcelona left more than 100 injured, ten of them critically.

A rented Fiat van was driven into crowds in the tourist district of Las Ramblas yesterday afternoon before the driver escaped on foot.

Three Germans were among those killed, Spanish media reported. There were also Greek and Belgian nationals among the dead.

Investigators believe the atrocity is linked to an explosion at a home 70 miles away which happened 24 hours earlier. Documents discovered at the scene reveal details of the planned attack, police sources have claimed.

It is thought the address was being used as a bomb factory, and that the terror cell responsible for yesterday's attack planned to fill the van with explosive butane canisters.

Two hours after the mass killing a man was shot dead after driving through a roadblock on the outskirts of Barcelona, injuring two police officers, including one who suffered a broken leg. He is now not believed to be linked to the attack.

Two suspects were arrested yesterday evening, a Moroccan and a Spanish national, but neither of them were at the wheel of the van.

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The hired van (pictured), registered to rental company Telefurgo, rammed into scores of holidaymakers and their children before police swooped. The crumpled van is pictured as a body lies on the ground

Horrifying images of the aftermath show an elderly couple were among the injured after the van ploughed into pedestrians on the busy Barcelona street

A police officer appears to be lying motionless on the ground after a Ford Focus drove through a roadblock on the outskirts of Barcelona

And in the early hours of this morning five terrorists were shot dead in Cambrils, a coastal resort 70 miles from Barcelona, and another was injured by police. It is not known if the van driver was among them.

In Barcelona, officials warn the death toll is likely to rise, with at least 10 people critically injured in yesterday afternoon's atrocity in the heart of the city's tourist district.

In the aftermath of the attack police circulated an image of Driss Oukabir, a 28-year-old Catalan resident of Moroccan origin, saying he had rented out a second van thought to be intended as a getaway vehicle - where his documents were found.

But police sources said Oukabir later handed himself in at a police station in Ripoll, 65 miles north of Barcelona, claiming his brother had stolen his documents.

His brother is named Moussa Oukabir, 18, who lives in Barcelona, El Pais reports.

Disturbing comments posted on social network Kiwi by an account carrying Moussa Oukabir's name and photograph makes reference to killing all infidels.

Moussa Oukabir, 18, who lives in Barcelona, has been named as a suspect in the attack after reportedly stealing his brother's documents

Driss Oukabir (pictured) has been arrested by police, according to local media reports. The Guardia Civil previously said the van used in the attack was rented by Oukabir in the town of Santa Perpetua de la Mogada

Horrifying pictures and video from the scene of the Las Ramblas attack show armed police and paramedics rushing around the busy promenade in the centre of the city, as victims lie hurt in the street.

Video has emerged seeming to show a police officer lying on the ground injured in Sant Just Desvern, on the outskirts of Barcelona, after the Ford Focus drove through a roadblock.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing people running away and screaming after the terror attack happened.

A witness called Angel said he had seen the attacker close up and described him as 'a young man, maximum 25 years old, chestnut brown hair and skinny.'

Others described him as about 5ft 6in tall and wearing a blue and white striped top.

Pictured: Stills from a video showing a man being arrested by Spanish police in Barcelona after the suspected terror attack in the heart of the city

A map shows the location of the two attacks, in Barcelona and Cambrils, which were separated by eight hours. A house explosion which killed one person has been linked to the attacks, while suspect Driss Oukabir handed himself in to police in Ripoll

Another witness, Isaac, said: 'The person was accelerating. He mounted the pavement to run people over. We saw the van passing by running people over at 50 miles an hour. It was as if it was driving through a field of corn.'

A taxi driver told Catalan TV station TV3: 'The van was doing zigzags knocking over everyone he could. It was shocking.'

Steve Garrett was in a nearby market and sheltered in a bakery with several others after streams of people ran inside.

He told the BBC: 'A very large number of people ran into the market area in a big kind of way, lots of screaming, lots of shouting.

'The security guards immediately responded. We ran into the bakery with four or five other people and ran straight upstairs and hunkered down whilst an enormous wave of people went through the market.

'Obviously coming from England it was reminding me a great deal of what happened in London, so we were very concerned about what might be going on next.’

One witness told Sky News: 'It was quite terrifying. All of a sudden scores of people ran towards us, hysterical, children hysterical... first of all they said someone had been shot.

'All of a sudden a second wave of people came down the street, we just ran, I lost my husband in the melee. The shops went into lockdown mode.'

Police said two people arrested in connection with the terror attack in Barcelona were linked with an address in Alcanar, where a home exploded on Wednesday

Police are linking the terror attack in Barcelona to an explosion at a home 125 miles south of the city, which is believed to have been caused by canisters filled with butane

Investigators have confirmed that yesterday's explosion is being linked to the terror attack in Barcelona

She added: 'We really had no idea what was going on other than that we needed to get ourselves out of there very quickly... there was just hundreds of people running away very quickly.'

Another said: 'We were just told to run, it must have been quite close because... there was an immediate stampede to run away. We were just a minute away from it.'

Aamer Anwar was walking down Las Ramblas at the time, which he said was 'jam-packed' with tourists.

He told Sky News: 'All of a sudden, I just sort of heard a crashing noise and the whole street just started to run, screaming. I saw a woman right next to me screaming for her kids.

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

Mr Anwar described the scene as 'chaos', with everyone in 'panic mode'.

There are harrowing scenes in Barcelona after a van was driven into pedestrians in Las Ramblas in the heart of the city. Thirteen people have been killed and dozens have been injured as armed police swarm the streets

Will Ako, 26, from London, was eating in a restaurant called Taller De Tapas with his family when they heard a disturbance.

He told the Press Association: ‘I saw a couple of people about 30 yards down the road crouching around what looked like someone on the ground and they were calling for assistance.

'Within a couple of minutes, police started to arrive and they were running west of the restaurant and some were telling us to stay inside.

'Soon after, loads of cars, bikes and ambulances arrived and then the armed police.'

BRITISH ACTRESS 'WAS FORCED TO HIDE IN FREEZER' Laila Roussa dramatically live tweeter her experience as the horrifying attack unfolded in Barcelona Actress Laila Rouass has dramatically live tweeted her experience ‘hiding in a restaurant freezer' after being caught up in the horrific terrorist attack in Barcelona. The wife of snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan, 46, took to Twitter amid the brutal terror attack which is believed to have claimed the lives of 13 people and wounded 100 others. Tweeting directly in the middle of the attack, the former Holby City star said: 'In the middle of the attack. Hiding in a restaurant freezer. Happened so fast. Praying for the safety of everyone here x.' And in a later tweet, the star, from Stepney in London, posted: 'Gunshots just heard. Armed police running down the street looking for someone.' In a series of further tweets she added: 'The whole of Las Ramblas and surrounding roads in lock down with armed police everywhere,' and 'hearing one person has been shot.' Friend of Mrs Rouass and fellow actor Douglas Henshall tweeted a message of support to the former Holby City star. He said: 'F*** sake Laila stay safe. X'. Advertisement

At least 13 people have been killed and dozens injured after a van ploughed into pedestrians in Las Ramblas, Barcelona's busiest tourist area. Police are still hunting two armed men who have escaped and are believed to be hiding in a nearby restaurant

Eyewitnesses said swarms of people were running for their lives with one woman desperately screaming out for her child. Pictured: The van can be seen with a crumpled bonnet as people lie motionless on the pavement

Tom Gueller, who lives on an adjoining road, was forced to flee the scene when he saw the van hurtling through the crowds.

He told BBC's PM: 'I heard screams and a bit of a crash and then I just saw the crowd parting and this van going full pelt down the middle of the Ramblas and I immediately knew that it was a terrorist attack or something like that.

'I ran away, I mean I live near, I had to run back about 50 metres or so and go up to my flat and obviously see what's happening on the road from my balcony.'

Asked about the van, he said: 'It wasn't slowing down at all. It was just going straight through the middle of the crowds in the middle of the Ramblas.'

Mr Gueller said many of the shops had pulled their shutters down and armed police were positioned on street corners, with cordons in place on the road.

Tourist Mel Higgins told Sky News she was barricaded into a shop with her daughters at the time of the incident.

She said: 'I was with my two daughters and we were walking down the Passeig de Gracia, which is sort of parallel and one up from Las Ramblas, when suddenly people just started running towards us, screaming and shouting: 'Run! Run! Run!'.

Footage had emerged of heavily armed police swarming the area, searching for the attackers. Witnesses said the area was swamped with terror cops and plain clothed officers 'within 30 seconds'

Pictured: A woman lies injured on the pavement as paramedics offer treatment

Police have confirmed that at least 52 people are injured, with Catalonia's interior minister Joaquim Forn saying it is 'very possible' that the number of dead will rise because of the 'very serious' wounds to victims. Pictured: Police carry a woman away from the scene

'So I grabbed the two girls and there was an Orange phone shop was open and we ran inside and they locked the doors of the phone shop, and we just all waited there for I suppose about 20 minutes.

'And then it seemed very calm out on the street. And obviously the people working in Orange were in touch with the police and the police said just stay there for now.

'Then about 20 minutes later, they said we could leave and we were just about to leave when people started running again, and screaming, and they said: 'Everyone back in!'.'

Josep Lluis Trapero, the head of the regional police force the Mossos d’Esquadra, said the attack was designed 'to kill as many people as possible'.

He said police were connecting the attack to an explosion at a house in Alcanar, 125 miles south of Barcelona, on Wednesday.

Pictured: Victims lie in the street after the van attack in Barcelona this afternoon, which has claimed 13 lives and left more than 80 injured

Pictured: Armed police on the streets of Barcelona following this afternoon's atrocity, which saw a van plough into crowds of pedestrians in the city's tourist area

Pictured: Armed policemen arrive in a cordoned-off area after a van ploughed into a crowd in Barcelona

One person died and six were injured in the explosion, reportedly caused by a build-up of gas, which caused the house to collapse.

Mr Trapero told a news conference: 'At 16.50 a van entered the pedestrian area of the Rambla, and drove for many meters, running over hundreds of people.

'Many of them were injured and it caused the death of 13 people. The driver got out of the van and ran away. There was no shouting, no phrases which sometimes accompany such attacks. Witnesses called the emergency services and gave a description.

'The Mossos (the police force in Catalonia) began Operation Cage, an anti-terrorist operation throughout Catalonia. There is no evidence that the person who left the van was armed. We do not believe he was armed, at least visibly.

'We entered all of the bars and establishments of the area to check nobody was hiding. This was clearly a terrorist attack with the intention of killing as many people as possible.

Pictured: The scene of the van crash in Barcelona

Pictured: People flee after the van drove into crowds in centre of Barcelona

Pictured: A man lying on the street in Barcelona after the van ploughed into pedestrians along Las Ramblas

Pictured: A man is given treatment by a paramedic in Barcelona

Pictured left: Injured people are treated at the scene in Las Ramblas, Barcelona after the horrific attack. Right: People trapped in a shop under police guard

Pictured: The scene in Barcelona today as emergency services rush to help

Pictured: People gather round a victim after the van drove into a crowd in Barcelona

Pictured: People sit on the pavement in Barcelona after a van ploughed through pedestrians in Las Ramblas

Pictured: Emergency services outside the El Corte Ingles store in Barcelona

Pictured: Victims are helped to safety after being caught up in the horrific incident in Barcelona

Pictured: Police officers tell members of the public to leave the scene in a street in Barcelona

Pictured: An ambulance attending the scene in Las Ramblas

'It is believed to be connected with a second incident - the explosion of a house in Alcanar. We received an alert of an explosion where one person has died and others were injured.

'A part of the building collapsed. We are linking these two incidents. I cannot give further details as we are still working on the investigation.

'This led to the arrest of two people directly implicated in this attack. This does not mean that the two people under arrest are those who carried out the attack in Barcelona - but they are connected to the attack.

'Neither of them was the person driving the van. Neither of them has any convictions for terrorism. One is from Melilla (a Spanish enclave in north Africa) and the other is Moroccan.

'One person was arrested in Alcanar and the other, a Moroccan, in Ripoll.'

Pictured: People taking refuge in a shop near Las Ramblas in Barcelona

Pictured: A man sits on the pavement with his head in his hands after the tragic attack, now being treated as a terrorist incident

Pictured: Police attending the scene in Barcelona. A large part of the area has been cordoned off by emergency services

Pictured: A person is stretched out of a mall by medical staff members in a cordoned off area after the van ploughed into the crowd

Pictured: The President of the United States has condemned the attack and promised to do 'whatever is necessary to help' the Spanish

Pictured: Police officers cordon off a street in Barcelona after the attack

Documents found at the scene of the explosion contain details of yesterday's terror attack, El Periodico reports.

Meanwhile Mr Trapero confirmed one person was shot dead as a car attempted to break through a police cordon, leaving an officer with a broken leg.

But he said: 'He is a Spanish national and at the moment we have no indication he is linked to these other people.'

Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau says a moment of silence will be held in the city's main square at noon Friday 'to show that we are not scared and we are more united that ever'.

Pictured: Ambulances in the street in Barcelona

Pictured right: The scene after the van reportedly drove into pedestrians. Pictured left: Emergency services rushing to the scene

Pictured: Emergency services rushing to the scene

The civil guard has said the van used in the attack was rented in the town of Santa Perpetua de la Mogada, which is around 15 miles by road from the scene of today's killings.

A second van was found parked in the town of Vic, which is around 50 miles north of Barcelona. Police believe it was meant to be used as a getaway vehicle.

El Periodico said the CIA had warned local police two months ago that La Rambla could be the scene of a terrorist attack.

World leaders rushed to condemn the bloodshed, with UK Prime Minister Theresa May saying Britain 'stands with Spain against terror' in response to the tragic news.

She added: 'My thoughts are with the victims of today's terrible attack in Barcelona and the emergency services responding to this ongoing incident. The UK stands with Spain against terror.'

Pictured: People are guided out of a fastfood restaurant by police after the attack earlier today

Pictured: Police guiding people in Barcelona out of a Burger King restaurant after the outrage in the Las Rambras area of the Catalonian city

Pictured: Hundreds of people can be seen in Barcelona city centre after the horrifying incident

Pictured: A person is stretched out of a mall by medical staff in a cordoned-off area

Pictured: Police special forces work near Plaza Catalonia following the incident, which police are treating as a terror attack

US President Donald Trump condemned the attack and promised to do 'whatever is necessary to help' the Spanish.

As news of the atrocity was breaking, US First Lady Melania Trump tweeted: 'Thoughts and prayers to #Barcelona'.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, tweeted: 'My thoughts are with the victims of this barbaric terrorist attack in the great city of Barcelona and with their brave emergency services.'

Mr Khan added: 'London stands with Barcelona against the evil of terrorism.'

Pictured: Police secure the area close to the scene after a white van jumped the sidewalk and ran into pedestrians in the historic Las Ramblas district

Pictured: A woman is comforted as crowds flee from the scene

Pictured: Women and children leave the area after the devastating attack

Pictured: People walk away from Las Ramblas after the attack earlier today

The United States offered its assistance to Spain, with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson adding that consular assistance was being provided to Americans in the city. He also urged US nationals to check in with their families.

'Terrorists around the world should know - the United States and our allies are resolved to find you and bring you to justice,' Tillerson told a press conference with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and their Japanese counterparts.

The incident has taken place at the height of the tourist season in Barcelona, which is one of Europe's top travel destinations with at least 11 million visitors a year.