Authorities Still Searching for the Driver in Barcelona Attack

Spain is currently busy conducting the biggest anti-terror operation on Friday in an attempt to hunt down the driver who plowed into pedestrians on a very busy street in central Barcelona

At least 14 people were killed and around 100 were injured in the attack. Moreover, 15 of the injured persons were in serious condition and authorities warned that their chances of survival is low.

The authorities said that a jihadist used a van to target people and mobilized security forces on Thursday afternoon. The injured and the dead people were from 24 different countries, including Germany, France, Pakistan and the Philippines, according to a government statement.

The responsibility for the attacked was claimed by the Islamic State, saying that the perpetrators were “soldiers of the Islamic State”. However, these claims have not been independently verified yet.

“The perpetrators of the attack in #Barcelona are Islamic state soldiers and carried out the operation on command of [ISIS’ leader] of targeting coalition countries,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rejoy called the incident a tragedy and announced three days of official mourning.

According to an initial report, the person driving the van was Driss Oukabir, a French citizen of Moroccan origin whose documents were found in the vehicle.

However, the man shortly turned himself in to the police and denied any sort of involvement in the terrot plot, claiming that his documents were stolen, possibly by his brother. The police has not yet confirmed that the man’s brother was the actual driver.

Moreover, it is still unclear how many people were involved in the attack.

Source: foxnews.com