Police in Spain say the driver of the van that mowed down pedestrians on a Barcelona street Thursday may still be at large, contradicting earlier reports that the driver was among those killed after a similar attack hours later in a nearby town.

Younes Abouyaaqoub, a 22-year-old Moroccan-born man sought by police is now seen as the possible ring leader of the group that carried out the attack in Barcelona and another in Cambrils, about 120 kilometers south of Barcelona along the Spanish coast.

A total of 14 people were killed in the twin terror attacks — 13 in Barcelona and one in Cambrils, where a car was driven into a crowd of pedestrians before police shot and killed the five suspects after they left the vehicle.

Spanish media had reported that one of the suspects shot to death in Cambrils, 17-year-old Moussa Oukabir, was believed to be the driver of the van in Barcelona. But during an interview with local TV late Friday, a police official said it appeared unlikely that Oukabir drove the van.

 

Police also believe that the group may have had a larger attack planned, but an accidental explosion at a home suspected of being used by members of the group may have thwarted the plot. At least one person was killed in that blast, and police arrested another suspect.

Four others were arrested following Thursday’s attacks, and police are still seeking four other suspects, including Abouyaaqoub.
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