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A8 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 19 auguSt 2017

Spanish plan for carnage started with botched explosion

By LORI HINNANT a document listing four sus- co; only Moussa Oukabir Spanish media reported. that had been plotting for
JOSEPH WILSON pects sought in the attacks, was born in Spain, accord- The brothers were born a long time from the house
CIARAN GILES said the official, who spoke ing to the document. and raised in Ripoll, a qui- in Alcanar, 200 kilometers
Associated Press on condition of anonymity Earlier in the day, Catalan et, upscale town of 10,000 (124 miles) down the coast
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — to discuss the investigation. regional president Carles tucked into hilly Catalan from Barcelona. The house
A cell of at least nine ex- The Barcelona-based La Puigdemont said at least heartland and dominated was destroyed by a butane
tremists meticulously plot- gas explosion Wednesday
ted to combine vehicles night that killed one per-
and explosives in a direct son. One of those injured
hit on tourists, and man- in the blast was taken into
aged to carry off most of custody.
their deadly plan, killing Senior police official Josep
14 people, authorities said Lluis Trapero said police
Friday. Police in Spain and believed the apparently
France pressed a manhunt accidental explosion pre-
for any remaining mem- vented the suspects from
bers of the group, which carrying out a far deadlier
Islamic State claimed as its attack. Police said they ar-
own. rested two people Friday,
Only flawed bomb con- after the two arrests a day
struction avoided a more earlier. In custody are three
devastating attack, au- Moroccans and one Span-
thorities said after taking iard, none with terrorism-
a closer look at a blast related records.
Wednesday evening in the “We are not talking about
town of Alcanar that was a group of one or two peo-
first written off as a house- ple, but rather a numerous
hold gas explosion. At least group,” regional Interior
one person was killed and Ministry chief Joaquim Forn
several injured in the home A suspect is led out of a building by police in Ripoll, north of Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Aug. 18, told Onda Cero radio.
where police said the 2017. Police on Friday shot and killed five people carrying bomb belts who were connected to the The sheer size of the cell re-
deadly plan took shape. Barcelona van attack, as the manhunt intensified for the perpetrators of Europe’s latest rampage called the November 2015
Eighteen hours later, a rent- claimed by the Islamic State group. attacks in Paris, in which
ed van veered into Barce- (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) trained Islamic State at-
lona’s crowded Las Ramb- tackers struck the national
las promenade, swerving Vanguardia newspaper, one “terrorist is still on out by the imposing tower of stadium, a concert hall
along the walkway Thurs- Spanish national broad- there. We do not have the Monesteri de Santa and bars and restaurants
day and killing 13 people. caster RTVE and other out- information regarding Maria. The dented door to nearly simultaneously.
Armed with an ax, knives lets cited police sources as the capacity to do more the family’s first-floor apart- Since then, the extrem-
and false explosives belts, saying he was the driver of harm.” ment swung open Friday; ist group has steadily lost
attackers drove a second the van in Barcelona. The French official said the home was empty. ground in its self-declared
vehicle to the boardwalk The arrest order was issued Spain had flagged a rent- Neighbors said they were caliphate in Iraq and Syria,
in the resort town of Cam- throughout Spain and ed van that was believed shocked by the news of most recently with its de-
brils early Friday, fatally in- into France, according to to have crossed the border Moussa Oukabir’s involve- feat in Mosul.
juring one person. Five of the Spanish official and a to the north. ment. One teenager, who “This shows there is no cor-
those attackers were shot French police official, who Moussa’s brother Driss Ouk- identified himself only by relation between what is
to death, among them also spoke on condition of abir was arrested Thursday his first name, Pau, said happening over there with
17-year-old Moussa Ouk- anonymity to discuss the after he went to police they played together Daesh and the operational
abir, according to a Span- document. They did not to report his stolen iden- when they were younger capacity of the group,”
ish police union official, say what became of the tity documents were those and he was “a good boy.” said Jean-Charles Brisard,
confirming Spanish news other three men listed, who found in the van aban- Authorities said the two at- a French security analyst,
reports. ranged in age from 18 to doned on the historic Las tacks were related and the using another name for the
Oukabir’s name was first on 24. All had roots in Moroc- Ramblas promenade, work of a large terrorist cell group.q