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REUTERS•GETTY•EPA Las Ramblas terror attack: People hit by van on Las Ramblas

Spanish police foiled a terror plot shortly after midnight, 68 miles south west from Barcelona in the town of Cambrils. Five suspected terrorists, who were wearing fake suicide belts, were killed in a shootout with Catalan police in Cambrils - with video footage showing gunfire at the scene. Six civilians and one police officer were injured in the attack. One of the injured - a female victim - has since died of her injuries. The Interior Councillor of Catalonia, Joaquim Forn, has told local media that the perpetrators of the attacks could be part of the same terrorist cell as the Barcelona attackers, but this remains unconfirmed. Neither has he ruled out the possibility that one of the terrorists dead in Cambrils is the man who escaped after the attack in Barcelona. He has confirmed that in this last attack there was no explosive material. Authorities investigating the Barcelona and Cambrils attacks believe a terror cell of 8-12 people may have been involved and had been planning to use gas cannisters to inflict more terror.

NC Barcelona terror: Tourists cry in the street after van hits people on Las Ramblas

The foiled attack in Cambrils came just hours after shoppers and tourists were hit by a van on the popular strip in the Catalan capital on Thursday afternoon. Horrifying images emerged of victims lying bloodied in the street, as 13 people are confirmed dead in the attack claimed by Islamic State (ISIS). Around 130 people are injured, 15 seriously, while Catalan authorities have said the death toll could rise. The injured have been taken to 15 hospitals around Barcelona. Urgent messages were released by police as they hunted a man in connection with the terror attack. However, Spanish media said Driss Oukabir has handed himself in in the town of Ripoll, in Gerona, insisting his ID had been stolen. Police are now believed to be looking for his brother, 18-year-old Moussa Oukabir, who is suspected of driving the van into the Barcelona crowds. Four suspects have now been arrested in connection with the Barcelona and Cambrils attacks.

EPA Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy said the country is 'united to defeat terrorism'

La Vanguardia newspaper said one of the suspected perpetrators had been killed in a shootout with police on the outskirts of Barcelona, but this was unconfirmed. Meanwhile, Catalan police said a driver hit two officers as they held a road block outside of Barcelona. It is currently unclear if the incidents were linked. A house explosion on Wednesday in which one person died has been confirmed to be linked to the terror strike. The incident in Catalonia was caused by a build up of gas at around 10.15pm the night before the attack, authorities said.

EPA Las Ramblas: Terror in Barcelona as at least 13 dead

Local media initially reported a Turkish restaurant on Carrer Tallers, near to the Boqueria food market, was at the centre of a hostage situation. Witnesses claimed people were held in Luna Istanbul Restaurant, but police have denied any civilians are caught up in the drama. Armed police remain in the city centre as they hunt for the driver - or drivers. Bomb squad officers have formed a ring of steel around the city as they activate their planned response to terror. A police Twitter statement said: “If you are in the area of Plaça Catalunya in Barcelona stay where you are until the police says that you can get (out).”

TWITTER Las Ramblas terror - Barcelona revellers hit by van

El Periodico newspaper reported gunfire in the area of La Boqueria Market, although it did not cite the source of the information. In the earlier incident, the van entered the Rambla near the Plaza de Catalunya and drove down the central pedestrianised area, zigzagging at high speed along the pavement in an apparent attempt to maximise the damage caused. Disturbing videos have emerged of tourists covered in blood, laying helpless in the street, in the immediate aftermath of the attack.

TWITTER Las Ramblas terror: Man cared for in the street after attack

The van crashed into a kiosk on the boulevard before the attacker fled on foot, with the vehicle said to be a rented white rented Fiat, registration 7082 JWD. The public transport system in the city was shut down in the immediate aftermath of the attack. Eye witnesses said they saw the driver flee with “something in his hand”, yet many were frozen to the spot as the extent of the carnage dawned on them. Witness Tom Gueller told the BBC: "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. "It wasn't slowing down at all. It was just going straight through the middle of the crowds.”

Barcelona terror attack: Pictures from the scene Fri, August 18, 2017 A white van has mounted the pavement and driven towards pedestrians in the Spanish city's tourist hotspot of Las Ramblas Play slideshow 1 of 16 Las Ramblas after a vehicle mounted the pavement and drove towards crowds

Nurse Albert Tort, 47, who lives in Las Ramblas, said the scene was “a total disaster” but people’s main concern was to help the injured. He told El Pais: “The police would not let me pass but I identified myself as a nurse and I passed. "What I saw was a total disaster. I counted at least six dead. I tried to revive a young man but it was impossible.” Ellen Vercamm said: “We were at the door of the Hard Rock Cafe heading towards the Rambla when we saw a white van crash into people. "We saw people being sent flying as they were knocked over. And we saw three cyclists who were knocked flying as well. “We didn’t get hit by a matter of minutes. It was terrible. We’re in a big group and we still don’t know if everyone is OK.”

TWITTER Barcelona hostages reported in restaurant: Police storm city centre after Las Ramblas attack

Aamer Anwar said total chaos broke out as tourists scrambled to find safety. 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." Joaquim Forn, interior minister of the regional government in Catalonia, tweeted: “I condemn the terrorist attack in Barcelona. We can confirm 13 deaths and more than 50 wounded.” La Rambla is one of the busiest tourist streets in Spain and the attack came at the height of the holiday season. Around 100m people walk down the street each year.

EPA Las Ramblas terror attack: Barcelona tourists among hurt in Catalan capital

NC Las Ramblas terror attack: People crowd around victim after van hits people in the street

TWITTER Las Ramblas terror attack: Barcelona tourists hit by van on popular street

The wounded have been referred to the various hospitals across the city. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he would coordinate efforts to reinforce security. Rajoy, on his way to Barcelona, said there would be "maximum coordination to arrest the attackers, reinforce security and attend to all those affected." At 11.30pm BST, PM Rajoy confirmed the attack was "jihadist". The attack was the deadliest in Spain since March 2004, when Islamist militants placed bombs on commuter trains in Madrid, killing 191 people and wounding more than 1,800.

Abdul Razzaq, National President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Spain, said: “The victims of the tragic and barbaric attacks in Barcelona and their families are in our special thoughts and prayers. “To harm the innocent is never acceptable and goes against the teachings of Islam, the Holy Qur'an and the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be on him. “While the perpetrators of these attacks were intent on spilling innocent blood, we stand ready, as Muslims and fellow citizens, to offer our blood to the victims of this terrible crime, through blood donations. Peace is the Islam we believe in, the true and only Islam.” The Catalan regional government has now said that citizens from 24 countries were among the people killed and injured during the Barcelona van attack.

GOOGLE Barcelona terror: Las Ramblas attack with van followed by reports of hostages