Police now suspect a missing imam of having radicalized the youths who allegedly attacked pedestrians in Barcelona, Spanish media report. However, Islamic clerics in the assailants' hometown have condemned the attacks.
Barcelona police patrol the pedestrian area of Las Ramblas late Saturday nightImage: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Balk
Advertisement
Spanish authorities searched the imam's home in Ripoll on Saturday, as part of their probe into terror strikes two days ago.
The Muslim cleric, A. Es Satty, abruptly left his post at the Ripoll mosque in June. According to the mosque head, Es Satty recently told his colleagues he would be going to his home country of Morocco for three months.
The investigators believe that the cleric radicalized the suspected attackers, all of whom came from Ripoll. He likely motivated them to commit the deadly attacks, a police official told the AP news agency.
Police also suspect that Es Satty might have been killed in the explosion in Alcanar, while the terror cell attempted to create a bomb in the apartment they reportedly used as a base. The Spanish broadcaster RTVE said that human remains of one of the blast casualties could correspond to the missing cleric. This has not been officially confirmed.
Es Satty's flatmate in Ripoll reportedly saw the cleric earlier this week.
"The last time I saw him was Tuesday and he told me that he was going to see his wife in Morocco," he told the AFP news agency.
Ripoll Muslims speak out
The Annour Islamic Community of Ripoll pledged its solidarity with terror victims in a notice posted on the local mosque.
"Faced with this criminal act, the Annour Islamic Community of Ripoll reiterates its complete commitment to the fight against any form of terrorism, and we hope that those responsible for this attack are arrested and taken before a judge as soon as possible," they said.
At the same time, a group of Muslims gathered at the scene of the Barcelona attack to show their opposition to terrorism.
The families of the terror suspects also gathered at downtown Ripoll on Saturday to express remorse and denounce terrorism. Similar statements also came from Morocco, from the father of the two Oukabir brothers who were suspected of organizing and conducting the attacks.
Said Oukabir told the AFP news agency that he and his family were "under shock, completely devastated" at the news, adding that his children had shown no sign of radicalization.
"They lived like the young people of their age, dressed like them," the father said.
Spain terror attacks - what we know
Twin vehicle attacks in the Spanish cities of Barcelona and Cambrils have left 14 people dead and more than 120 injured. Police have arrested four men and are searching for other suspects believed to be on the run.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/O. Duran
Terror attack
Witnesses in Barcelona said a van zigzagged down one of city's busiest tourist avenues, Las Ramblas, mowing down pedestrians and leaving bodies strewn across the ground. Police confirmed it was a terrorist attack.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Lago
Second rampage
Several hours later, a speeding car killed one person and injured five in the seaside resort of Cambrils. The car's five occupants were shot dead by police. Catalonian authorities have confirmed that the two attacks were linked.
Image: Reuters/Reuters TV
Manhunt started
Police say they have arrested four men suspected of having a role in the attacks. They are still searching for the driver of the vehicle used in Barcelona. He is believed to be on the run, although officials have said he also could have been one of the five shot dead in Cambrils.
Image: REUTERS/Stringer
'Islamic State' claim responsibility
The so-called "Islamic State" (IS) terror group claimed responsibility for the attacks. "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 group's news agency said.
Image: Getty Images/D. Ramos
Suspects in custody
Police said three of the detained suspects are Moroccan, and one is a Spaniard. None of them were known to have links to terror groups.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Lago
Several victims critical
The Catalan government said that at least 13 people had died in the Barcelona attack, with 61 still receiving treatment for injuries in hospital - 17 of them in a critical condition. Four people wounded in the Cambrils attack remain in hospital. The victims came from at least 34 countries, officials said.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Lago
Makeshift memorial
On Friday, thousands of people gathered around a makeshift memorial in Las Ramblas, the site where the van came to a halt. Many left flowers and candles in honor of the victims.
Image: picture alliance/ZUMAPRESS.com
Three days of mourning
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced three days of official mourning for what he called a "jihadist attack." At a news conference in Barcelona, he told reporters: "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."
Image: Imago/robertharding/P. Higgins
Minute of silence
King Felipe of Spain, Prime Minister Rajoy and Catalonia Regional President Carles Puigdemont join crowds gathered for a minute of silence in Las Ramblas.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/M. Fernandez
Suspicious explosion
Spanish authorities are also investigating the scene of an explosion late Wednesday that killed one person in the city of Alcanar, some 200 kilometers (124 miles) southwest of Barcelona. Police first thought the explosion was an accident but said Thursday they now believe an explosive device intended for use in Barcelona was being prepared in the building.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Europa Press/Bombers De La Generalitat
