Police confirm fatalities in Barcelona terror attack

UPDATE: Barcelona officials now say 13 people died and 100 others suffered injuries in a terror attack “intended to kill as many people as possible.” Hospital officials say 15 people are in serious condition and warn the death toll could rise. Investigators have linked the attack to a Wednesday explosion that killed one person, but officials did not provide details on what connected the two incidents.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the van attack. Catalan officials ordered three days of mourning for the victims as world leaders voiced their unity in the fight against terrorism.

Police have arrested two suspects. One is a Spanish national from Melilla, and the other is Moroccan. Neither is believed to be the van’s driver.

In a separate incident, someone driving a white Ford Focus ran over two police officers at a checkpoint outside Barcelona. Local media reports say officers shot and killed the driver, although police have not confirmed that. It’s not clear whether the checkpoint incident is related to the van attack.

UPDATE (3:50 p.m.): The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for Thursday’s van attack on pedestrians at a popular outdoor shopping site in Barcelona, Spain. Police have arrested two people in connection to the attack. Casualty counts continue to fluctuate. Officials lowered the death toll to 12 but now say up to 80 people are hospitalized.

In a statement issued by its Amaq news site, ISIS claimed its “soldiers” carried out the attack. It offered no evidence to support that claim. Spanish police have not provided any information on the suspects’ identities.

UPDATE (2:45 p.m.): Spanish police now say at least 13 people died in a Barcelona terror attack Thursday. More than 50 others suffered injuries when a white van plowed into pedestrians in the city’s popular Las Ramblas district. Police have arrested one man and are “treating him as a terrorist.” U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson offered support to Spanish officials as they investigate the incident, adding “terrorists around the world should know that the United States and our allies are resolved to find you and bring you to justice.”

OUR EARLIER REPORT (1:30 p.m.): Spanish police officials confirm deaths and injuries after a white van plowed into pedestrians in Barcelona’s historic Las Ramblas district Thursday afternoon. Official reports do not include a count on the dead or injured, and local media reports vary. Police are calling the incident a terror attack. Media reports say two people in the van at the time of the crash are holed up in a nearby bar, although police have not confirmed that claim. Las Ramblas is one of the Barcelona’s most popular tourist attractions. A wide pedestrian path cuts through the center of the street, lined with shops and stalls. Vehicular attacks on pedestrians have become the terror weapon of choice in Europe, with dozens of people killed during incidents in England and France during the last year.