Catalan police say five terrorists are dead after a counter-terrorism operation in the seaside town of Cambrils, some 100 kilometres south of Barcelona.
Spanish radio station Cadena SER reported that the suspects were shot after they drove their car onto a pedestrian area, in an attempt to replicate the vehicle attack that occurred in central Barcelona on Thursday evening.
The news outlet La Vanguardia published a video showing the immediate aftermath of the suspected attack in Cambrils. Gunshots can be heard about 18 seconds into the video, at which point civilians are seen scrambling to take cover.
WATCH: Spanish police kill 5 in counter-terrorism operation
Six civilians and one police officer were injured in the foiled attack. Four of the suspects were shot dead on the scene, while the fifth died of his gunshot wounds a few hours later.
Police said at 2:45 a.m. local time that a counter-terrorism operation was still underway in Cambrils, but that the situation was now under control. A series of controlled detonations was carried out shortly thereafter.
Earlier, Sub-Inspector Alfredo Perdiguero of Spain’s national police force tweeted that the would-be attackers were wearing explosive belts.
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Fourteen people died and over 100 were injured in the Barcelona attack, which took place on the popular Las Ramblas pedestrian mall. Police arrested two suspects in connection to that attack, but are still searching for the driver of the van.
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Police said the Cambrils plot was linked to the Barcelona attack as well as an explosion in Alcanar, southwest of Spain’s second largest city.
On Friday morning, police revealed that a third suspect was arrested in the town of Ripoll, also in Catalonia province, in connection with the Barcelona and Cambrils attacks.
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