Terrorists were planning a bomb attack in Barcelona
Investigators suspect the Islamists' plans changed after their gas bottles accidentally exploded in the southern town of Alcanar
Catalan police detectives suspect that terrorists were initially planning a bomb attack in the city center of Barcelona, sources from the investigation told ACN. The police has linked two explosions on Wednesday and the early hours of Thursday in the small town of Alcanar, in southern Catalonia with the Barcelona and Cambrils terrorist attacks.
One person died and several were injured in the explosions, which were initially considered to be a gas blast. After the Barcelona attack, police officers linked the two incidents, and arrested one man in Alcanar. A second one is under custody in the town of Ripoll, in northern Catalonia.
Detectives are working with the hypothesis that Islamists wanted to use the gas bottles that exploded in Alcanar to attack the Catalan capital. However, when the gas bottles detonated, they decided to change plans and hit la Rambla with the van. At least 13 people died and 100 were injured after the vehicle drove at a high speed along la Rambla pedestrian area, which is usually very crowded.
Six civilians and one police officer were later injured in a second attack in Cambrils, a coastal town in southern Catalonia. Police killed four alleged terrorists in this tourist town and injured a fifth.