Spain terror attacks: 13 killed and 100 injured – as it happened

Police in Barcelona are removing the van used in the attack on Las Ramblas:

The Australian foreign affairs minister, Julie Bishop, said one woman, believed to be from New South Wales, is in a serious but stable condition and two young Australian men who were ‘directly affected’ by the fatal van attack in Spain would seek medical help in the morning.

Bishop urged all Australians in the area to contact consular authorities to let them know they are safe.

Police involved in the Cambrils operation are warning of a “possible terror attack”.

Officials are tweeting in Catalan and English – the town is a coastal one and close to tourist resorts.

Police have confirmed that the investigation ongoing in the town of Cambrils is a counter-terror operation.

People there have been advised to stay inside and not share unverified information.

Details are emerging of those killed and injured in the attack, although, as expected, there is not yet a clear picture and no casualties have yet been named.

Joaquim Forn, the regional interior minister, said at least 13 people had died and around 100 more were injured.

Belgian foreign minister Didier Reynders has confirmed that a Belgian woman was among those killed.

The Netherlands foreign ministry said three Dutch citizens had been injured but were “in contact with their relatives”:

They are out of danger and have been taken to a hospital.

A Greek official said three nationals had been injured, a woman and her two children.

At least one Australian has been injured. Foreign minister Julie Bishop said the woman was in a “serious but stable” condition in hospital.

This is Claire Phipps picking up the live blog.

Mossos, the Catalonian police force, has said it is currently carrying out an operation in Cambrils, a coastal town around 120km from Barcelona.

Officials are advising people in Cambrils to “stay home, stay safe”.

The driver of a van that rammed into a packed street in Barcelona, is still on the run, Spanish police confirmed. There has been confusion on the driver’s whereabouts following two arrests.

Josep Lluís Trapero of the regional police of Catalonia, said one of the suspects arrested over the attack is a man born in the Spanish territory of Melilla in northern Morocco. The other, Driss Oukabir, is Moroccan.

The Spanish suspect was arrested in Alcanar, while Oukabir was held in Ripoll in northern Catalonia. Neither of them had any criminal record, he added.

Trapero also confirmed that police suspect a deadly explosion late Wednesday at a house in Alcanar was linked to the van attack.

Trapero said the explosion left at least one person dead, and police suspected those in the house were “preparing an explosive device.”

“It seems there was an accumulation of gas that generated the explosion,” he said, without giving further details.

Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy said the van attack was “jihadist terrorism” which required a global response.

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“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 said during a news conference in Barcelona.

He said he would call on other Spanish political parties to reaffirm the country’s anti-terrorism pact.

We have a bit more on the detained suspects. As mentioned before, neither of the men are the driver of the van involved in the attack.

The arrests of a Spanish national from Melilla and a Moroccan were made in the northern Catalan town of Ripoll and in Alcanar, the site of an explosion, which killed one person and is being potentially linked to the van attack, authorities said.

The whereabouts of the van driver remains unclear after police said he made off on foot and was not believed to be armed.

There were also reports that detectives believe two vans were used, one for the attack and a second as a getaway vehicle.

Hours after Thursday’s attack, police shot and killed a man who was in a car that hit two officers at a traffic blockade on the outskirts of Barcelona. However, senior police official Josep Lluis Trapero said it was not linked to the van attack.

There has been a lot more reaction from high-profile figures and organisations, voicing their support for the Barcelona victims.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted: “My thoughts are with those killed and injured, and the emergency services working to save lives.”

Barcelona FC said it was “deeply saddened” by the attack, while their rivals Real Madrid expressed “solidarity with the victims and their families and friends”.

Former England striker Gary Lineker, who played for Barcelona for three seasons from 1986-89, tweeted: “Deeply saddened to hear about the attack in the wonderful city of Barcelona.”

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, a former Barcelona midfielder and coach, said: “All at MCFC are saddened to hear of the attack in the City of Barcelona. Our thoughts are with all affected and the emergency services.”

Spanish tennis champion Rafael Nadal, whose uncle Miguel Angel Nadal used to play for Barcelona, said: “Shattered by what has happened in Barcelona! All my support for the families affected and the city.”

Former US president Barack Obama tweeted: “Michelle and I are thinking of the victims and their families in Barcelona.”

Former presidential candidate and secretary of state Hillary Clinton posted: “We stand together against terrorism wherever it strikes.”

Sue Murphy, deputy leader of Manchester city council, said:

Our hearts go out to Barcelona in the wake of this sickening incident. Manchester stands in solidarity with that great city. We know from recent experience both how devastating this sort of attack is and how important international solidarity, community spirit and a refusal to give in to terror are in dealing with its aftermath.