area remained sealed off into the evening. Police were urging individuals not to share images of the crash site on social media. They also thanked the media for pixellating images they had chose to use of victims:
Trucks are normally allowed up the Ramblas to make deliveries, and according to Sticchi it has a fairly heavy police presence.
Spain hasn’t suffered a major attack on its soil since 2004, when an al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist cell detonated simultaneous explosions on the Cercanias commuter train in Madrid on March 11. The attack, which took place three days before Spain’s general election, killed 192 people and injured thousands.
The van attack on Las Ramblas killed 12 and injured 80, according to an NBC News report citing the regional president.
The Barcelona scene is one that has become all too familiar in Europe. A deadly truck attack in Nice, France, in July of last year left 86 people dead and hundreds injured. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.
In December 2016, a truck was deliberately driven into the Christmas market in Berlin, leaving 12 people dead and 56 others injured.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for those attacks, along with a deadly attack near London Bridge in June.
