Catalan police and the region’s interior minister, Joaquim Forn, have confirmed that investigators are working on the presumption that the attack on Las Ramblas, the thwarted attack in Cambrils, and the earlier house explosion in Alcanar are all connected.
In a statement posted on its website, the Chinese consulate in Barcelona said it was not aware of any Chinese fatalities, but said one tourist from Hong Kong had suffered minor injuries in the attack in Barcelona.
There were no other reports of Chinese citizens having been hurt.
The consulate urged Chinese citizens to contact local police in the case of an emergency.
The Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, said the whole country country stands in solidarity with Barcelona, blaming “jihadi terrorism” for the attack that has left 13 people dead and many more injured.
It’s close to 3am in Spain. Catalan police say that although investigations continue in Cambrils, where four suspects were shot dead, “the situation is under control”.
2:56 El dispositiu policial a Cambrils continua en marxa però la situació, a hores d'ara, està sota control. Continuem demanant precaució
In photographs and video from the scene in Cambrils, three bodies can be seen lying in front of the town’s yacht club, Club Nàutic: it’s not clear if they are the alleged perpetrators shot by police.
This image – not taken today – shows the usual view of the club.
Police in other parts of Spain also appear to be on high alert. At least one police roadblock was operating in the small hours of Friday morning near the Retiro Park in the capital, Madrid, when I reached the city.
This now looks like a coordinated attempt to carry out attacks in several parts of Catalonia, with tourists as a target.
Five other people are reported – though this is not yet confirmed – to have been injured on the seafront Paseo Maritimo in the Cambrils attack, allegedly by the suspected terrorists who were then shot by police.
Police now say that an explosion that destroyed a house in Alcanar Platja on Thursday morning, killing one person and injuring several more, is also linked to the attack.
The explosion was initially thought to be caused by the accidental explosion of a gas bottle.
The remains of a house in Alcanar, where one person died in an explosion police say was linked to the attack on Barcelona. Photograph: Jaume Sellart/EPA
