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“We Are Not Afraid”: Thousands Take to Streets of Barcelona After Van Attack Kills 14 People

HeadlineAug 18, 2017

In Barcelona, Spain, 14 people have died after a van plowed into a crowded walkway Thursday along Las Ramblas—the city’s most famous avenue. More than 100 people were injured. Eyewitnesses described scenes of horror.

Manuel, eyewitness: “People were scared, running all over the place. There was blood on their faces. It was terrible.”

Carlos Tena Gallardo: “It’s an attack, my friends, an attack in the middle of Las Ramblas of Barcelona. There are lots of dead people along Las Ramblas. It’s really awful—even kids, mothers and little kids dead in the middle of Las Ramblas.”

The self-proclaimed Islamic State claimed responsibility. In the hours after the attack, Spanish police shot five people dead during what they described as an anti-terrorism operation in Cambrils, a town south of Barcelona. Police said the men were linked to the Barcelona attack, but provided little information. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has declared three days of mourning. Earlier today, thousands of people filled the streets of Barcelona, chanting “We are not afraid.”

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