Barcelona terror attack: 14 killed, over 100 injured as van rams into tourists; ISIS claims responsibility

At least 13 people were killed and over 100 others injured when a van rammed into a crowd of tourists in Barcelona's most famous avenue Las Ramblas area on Thursday afternoon, local time. 

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Authorities have said that the death toll could rise, as many have been gravely injured. The police have arrested four people in connection with the attack, the Associated Press reported.

The local police have said that a rented white van jumped the curb in the popular shopping and food street and travelled for around 1,800 feet before coming to a halt. Witnesses claimed that the vehicle deliberately targeted people, weaving from side to side, ramming into pedestrians and cyclists and leaving a trail of bodies behind.

Here are the LIVE updates:

9:30 am IST: The Indian Embassy in Spain has issued an emergency contact number.

9:25 am IST: One World Trade Center in New York has been lit up in the Spanish colours of red and yellow to mourn the fatal terror attack in Barcelona.

9:20 am IST: A El Periodico newspaper report said that the CIA had warned the Catalan authorities  two months ago that Jihadists were plannign to target Barcelona and specifically its Ramblas boulevard.

9:14 am IST: The Australian government has said that at least three Australian nationals were injured in Barcelona.

While one woman from New South Wales is in a serious but stable condition in the hospital, two men from Victoria were injured but did not require hospital treatment.

9:10am IST: Meanwhile, Spain's civil protection agency says victims of the Barcelona attack were from at least 18 different countries including France, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Argentina, Venezuela, Belgium, Australia, Hungary, Peru, Romania, Ireland, Greece, Cuba, Macedonia, China, Italy and Algeria, reported BBC.

9:09 am IST: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has said that no Indian has been reported dead or injured in the Barcelona terror attack.

9:07 am IST: El Pais newspaper says that the fifth attacker was on foot and attempted to stab people.

9:06 am IST: Latest reports have said that the fifth attacker in Cambrils has also died.

9:01 am IST: Though the situation is under control, the police have asked the residents of the Cambrils town to remain indoor.

8:40 am IST: Another website La Vanguardia said that the group was found during a security check in the port area and after a short chase, the attackers' van overturned. The attackers were carrying arms and fired at the police.

8:32 am IST: Spanish newspaper El Pais said that one of the injured people in the Cambrils shootout was a police officer.

8:30 am IST: Spanish broadcaster RTVE has reported that the suspects had attempted to carry out a similar attack like the one in Barcelona in Cambrils as well. 

8:28 am IST: In another related incident, the Catalan police on Friday morning foiled a terror attack in Cambrils, 100km from Barcelona. They killed four people and injured one during the shootout.

8: 20 am IST: According to BBC, in another incident, police shot dead a man who drove into officers at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Barcelona, but the authorities said there was no evidence that he was connected to the attack in Las Ramblas.

8:15 am IST: One person was killed and seven others were injured in an explosion in a house in the town of Alcanar in southwest of Barcelona. Gas cylinders were found at the house. According to the police, the Barcelona attack and the explosion are related.

8:10 am IST: The police have identified one of the attackers as Driss Oubakir, whose documents were used to rent the van involved in the attack.

8:05 am IST: Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said it was a "jihadist attack."

"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 the press.

8:01am IST: Meanwhile, Amaq News Agency which is linked to the Islamic State Group (ISIS) has said that the attack was carried out by the ISIS militants.

"The perpetrators of the Barcelona attack are soldiers of the Islamic State and carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting coalition states," the news agency was quoted as saying by Reuters.

7:30 am IST: However, Spanish newspaper El PaÍs said that two people including the driver and another person were seen fleeing and it is still not known as to how many people were involved in the terror attack.

7:15 am IST: The police have arrested two men, a Moroccan, and a man from Spain's north African enclave of Melilla. But neither of them was the driver. Witnesses saw him fleeing the scene on foot.