Self-professed lovers of death celebrate mass murder.
“Van swerves into crowds in Barcelona’s popular Las Ramblas district; 13 reported dead and more than 50 injured,” by William Booth, Karla Adam and Brian Murphy, Washington Post, August 17, 2017 (thanks to Darcy):
LONDON — A driver swerved a van onto a pedestrian area Thursday in Barcelona’s historic Las Ramblas district, ramming into crowds and leaving at least 13 people dead and more than 50 injured scattered along a stretch of tree-shaded sidewalk. Authorities described the incident as a terrorist attack.
Joaquim Forn, the interior minister of the Catalan regional government, confirmed the casualty toll in a Twitter message.
Some of those injured were in serious condition, raising the possibility that the death toll could rise.
Earlier, Spanish police described the carnage as “massive.”
Spanish police did not immediately give details on the driver or other aspects of the incident.
But Spanish news media reported that two people were involved. One was arrested, and the other was killed in a shootout with police on the outskirts of the city, according to news outlets, citing police sources.
The TVE network said one attacker was shot after running a police checkpoint and that a member of the Catalan police force was wounded.
Regional police arrested one man in connection with the attack, Catalan police authorities announced earlier on Twitter, without offering additional identification. They said there was no hostage situation in a bar in the city center, denying rumors that quickly spread in the confused hours after the van plowed through the crowd….
Islamic State supporters celebrated the Barcelona attack on Thursday and promoted previous threats made against Spain, but the group did not immediately issue a claim of responsibility, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist activity.
The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, has called on supporters to carry out attacks using vehicles. The group has claimed responsibility for car attacks carried out in Europe, as well as on the campus of Ohio State University last year….
The bustling avenue in the heart of Barcelona was packed with tourists at the height of vacation season….