At least 13 killed in Barcelona attack as van mows down pedestrians

A van plowed into pedestrians along Barcelona's busy Las Ramblas district on Thursday, killing at least 13 people. Witnesses said the white van zigzagged through an area filled with tourists. At least 80 people were taken to hospitals. Spanish authorities arrested two people. Police also fatally shot five men in a car attack that injured pedestrians in a town outside the city hours later, and an explosion at a house in another town left one dead. The Islamic State claimed responsibility, saying through its Amaq news agency that the Barcelona attackers were "soldiers of the Islamic State" responding to calls to target members of the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Sunni Islamist extremist group. The attack was the latest in a string of deadly incidents in Europe in which terrorists have used vehicles to mow down civilians.

Source: Reuters, The Washington Post