Police in Barcelona say they’ve arrested one man in connection to a terrorist attack Thursday in a van hopped a curb on a busy street and crashed into dozens of people, leaving 13 dead and dozens more injured.
“We arrested a man and we are treating this as a terrorist attack,” Catalonian police said on Twitter.
Catalonia’s regional interior chief Joaquim Forn posted on Twitter, confirming “there are 13 dead and more than 50 injured.”
Earlier media reports said two armed men had barricaded themselves in a nearby bar after the attack, but police confirmed there is no one holed up in a bar. The Spanish publication El Periodico reported gunfire in the area of La Boqueria Market, although it did not cite the source of the information.
El Pais newspaper reports that the driver of the vehicle fled on foot after running over the pedestrians, though it was not immediately clear that the gunmen were the drivers of the van.
Police on the scene told people by megaphone to leave the area, as they were dealing with a “terrorist attack.”
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Twitter he’d been in contact with local authorities after the attack and right now the government’s priority is tending to those wounded.
Police have cordoned off the area and emergency services also are on the scene.
US reaction
The White House has said President Donald Trump is being briefed on the ongoing situation. Trump is on a working vacation at his private golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
The president took to Twitter Thursday afternoon to condemn the attack, and said the U.S. “will do whatever is necessary to help.”
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters the U.S. stands ready to “assist law enforcement and national security authorities in Spain,” and he said the U.S. consulates in Barcelona are working with Americans in Spain who’ve been affected by the attack.
“Terrorists around the world should know, the United States and our allies are resolved to find you and bring you to justice,” he said.
First lady Melania Trump, also sent her “thoughts and prayers” to Barcelona via Twitter.
Las Ramblas Boulevard is one of Barcelona’s busiest streets and is generally filled with tourists and street vendors.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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