Arrest of Fourth Suspect in Connection with Deadly Barcelona Attack; Iran's Reaction to the Attack

Following the news related to the deadly ISIS attack in Barcelona, Spain, the police of Catalonia announced on Friday, August 18, the arrest of the fourth suspect linked to this attack. Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the "terrorist and inhumane actions" that occurred on Thursday in Spain and expressed readiness to assist the global community in eradicating terrorism. On Thursday, August 17, a van attack on pedestrians in a popular tourist street in Barcelona resulted in 13 deaths and over 100 injuries. Thousands of people in Barcelona, along with King Felipe VI of Spain, observed a minute of silence on Friday afternoon in the main square to honor the victims of this attack. The police stated that the driver of the van has fled, and the search for his arrest continues. In this context, Reuters reported on Friday, citing Spanish officials, the arrest of a third suspect linked to the Barcelona attack in Catalonia. The police announced the news of the third suspect on their Twitter account but refrained from providing details. The Spanish police had announced on Thursday evening that a 28-year-old Moroccan national named "Idris Okbir" was arrested as one of the suspects in the Thursday attack in Barcelona. News agencies also reported the arrest of another suspect whose identity has not yet been disclosed. Meanwhile, Reuters reported on Friday, citing a judicial official in Spain, that it appears a total of eight individuals were involved in the deadly attack on Thursday. Spanish police reported early Friday that five suspects wearing suicide belts were killed during security operations in the town of Cambrils. Later reports indicated that the explosive vests of these individuals were fake and not real. According to Spanish media, these five suspects intended to attack people in Cambrils hours after the Barcelona attack. According to the judicial official who was the source for Reuters, all eight individuals linked to the Barcelona attack were members of a terrorist cell and "intended" to use butane gas canisters for an explosion after the vehicle attack. Moments after the identity of one of the suspects in the "terrorist attack" in Barcelona was announced by the Spanish police, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. The Barcelona attack, which the police classified as terrorist, elicited reactions from several countries, including the United States, which condemned the attack and offered assistance to Spain. Following this, France, Germany, the UK, and the European Union also expressed their disgust at the incident. The attack on Thursday in Barcelona is considered the deadliest attack in Spain since the 2004 Madrid incident, in which Islamist militants killed 191 people and injured over 1800 by bombing three urban train stations. In this context, the latest details from the "terrorist incident" in Barcelona indicate 12 dead and over 80 injured. Global condemnation of the Barcelona attack; the US offered help to Spain in investigations. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the deadly attack in Barcelona. The police are pursuing the perpetrator of the deadly Barcelona attack; "five terrorist suspects were killed."