Latest Details on the 'Terrorist Incident' in Barcelona; 12 Dead and Over 80 Injured

A van plowed into pedestrians in the historic Las Ramblas area of Barcelona, which police are treating as a terrorist incident, leaving dozens dead and injured. Catalonia's state officials have reported 12 fatalities and over 80 injuries. Although conflicting casualty figures were released in the initial hours following the incident, the head of the Catalonia region confirmed via Twitter on Thursday evening that 12 people were killed and over 80 injured, stating that two individuals have been arrested in connection with the attack. Reports indicate that the condition of some of the injured is critical. Reuters, citing local Spanish media, reported that one of the attackers was also killed in a police shootout. Earlier, Reuters had reported that after the van attack on the crowded Las Ramblas street, two armed men entered a café, but it was unclear whether these two were the van's driver. French news agency AFP also reported that several people were taken hostage in the café. Images released from the early moments of the incident by a local radio station showed three injured individuals lying on the ground while police and bystanders assisted them. According to the Associated Press, police requested stores to close as they secured the side streets leading to the incident site. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy contacted local officials after the attack and emphasized on Twitter that attending to the injured is a priority. The White House noted that Donald Trump is following the details of the attack through his Chief of Staff John Kelly. First Lady Melania Trump also expressed her condolences to the victims on her Twitter account. On Thursday, Catalonia's police also announced that in another attack, a driver who attacked two police officers at a checkpoint was killed. The Associated Press reported that Spanish police did not clarify whether this attack was connected to the 'terrorist attack' in the Las Ramblas area. Local media reported that a white Ford vehicle fled the scene after attacking two police officers at a checkpoint, but police managed to stop the vehicle three kilometers away, killing the driver in a shootout. The use of vehicles to carry out attacks and street violence is among the methods that al-Qaeda advised its supporters to use in 2010, and in recent years, the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for several attacks carried out using this method. Countries such as the UK, Sweden, Germany, France, and Austria have witnessed vehicle-based attacks in the past two years, with many of these attacks claimed by Islamist groups like the Islamic State. Additionally, in recent years, some Palestinians have also resorted to such methods to carry out attacks and street violence against Israeli citizens. Meanwhile, according to Reuters, Thursday's attack in Barcelona is the deadliest attack in Spain since the 2004 Madrid incident, where Islamist militants killed 191 people and injured over 1800 in bombings at three Madrid subway stations. Barcelona, the capital of the wealthy Catalonia region in northeastern Spain, is set to hold a referendum on independence from Spain on October 1. The central Spanish government opposes this referendum, deeming it illegal. Reports indicate that in recent weeks, threatening graffiti against tourists has been observed in Barcelona. A video titled 'Tourism Kills Neighborhoods' shows masked individuals stopping a tourist bus, slashing its tires, and spraying paint on the vehicle's windshield. In related news, 'ramming a vehicle' into a restaurant in France left at least one dead, a suspect in the attack on French soldiers in Paris was arrested, and a knife attack at a supermarket in Hamburg resulted in one death and six injuries.