Barcelona — Suspects in Spain’s deadly twin terror attacks were preparing an even bigger assault but were thwarted in their plans and forced to act in a "more rudimentary" way, police said Friday. Catalonia police spokesman Josep Lluís Trapero added that a driver who mowed down crowds of pedestrians in the first attack in a busy Barcelona street on Thursday could be involved with five suspects later shot dead in a nearby city. "They were preparing one or several attacks in Barcelona and an explosion in Alcanar stopped this as they no longer had the material they needed to commit attacks of an even bigger scope," he told reporters, referring to a blast in a house in the town on Wednesday evening. Police believe the explosion, which killed one person and injured seven others, was caused in an attempt to make explosive devices. Trapero said that after this, the suspects — who formed part of a cell — allegedly went on to commit "more rudimentary" attacks. These involved vehicles ploughi...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.