You are right it doesn't match the profile of prior Spanish terrorist groups but that doesn't mean they can't see how easy and effective the car attacks are and copy it.
Being vulnerable to a terror attack is the sad price of freedom. We can put barriers on busy pedestrian streets, but turning all cities into fortresses is not an answer. The only way is to destroy the allure of extremism.
They bombed a shopping center in Barcelona in the 80s but, yeah, it's unlikely today.It just doesn't make sense period. ETA is a nominally separatist movement. Catalunya is a province in Spain which is about to go through with its own separatist referendum. If the attack happened in Madrid there might be an angle for an ETA attack but this doesn't fit because there really isn't a motive for ETA to attack a place like Barcelona.
It just doesn't make sense period. ETA is a nominally separatist movement. Catalunya is a province in Spain which is about to go through with its own separatist referendum. If the attack happened in Madrid there might be an angle for an ETA attack but this doesn't fit because there really isn't a motive for ETA to attack a place like Barcelona.
Not for years and there has been a ceasefire since.
The chances of this not being Isis(or similar) extremists are low.
Most ETA operations focused largely on attacking Spanish military personnel/officials or other symbols of institutional power structure. The one time they engaged in an attack that resulted in mass civilian casualties was the bombing of a supermarket in Barcelona in 1987 and ETA apologized for that as a "mistake" (some mistake, right?).
This is Spain guys, we don't know if its ISIS or not. There are a number of different groups that could be responsible and have done terrorist attacks before.
You are right it doesn't match the profile of prior Spanish terrorist groups but that doesn't mean they can't see how easy and effective the car attacks are and copy it.
You guys are probably right but like I said there is no point in assuming or assigning blame before we know the facts.
You guys are probably right but like I said there is no point in assuming or assigning blame before we know the facts.
My brother is there with his 4 young kids, wife, and my cousin. My niece just turned 10 and this was a birthday trip for her.
They all ran for their lives and are hiding in a bar. Police have the entire area on lock down.
I've been talking to them and they're okay. But this is truly fucked.
My brother is there with his 4 young kids, wife, and my cousin. My niece just turned 10 and this was a birthday trip for her.
They all ran for their lives and are hiding in a bar. Police have the entire area on lock down.
I've been talking to them and they're okay. But this is truly fucked.
So... is the thread title completely wrong? I see 1 dead?
RIP.
Glad to hear they're safe.My brother is there with his 4 young kids, wife, and my cousin. My niece just turned 10 and this was a birthday trip for her.
They all ran for their lives and are hiding in a bar. Police have the entire area on lock down.
I've been talking to them and they're okay. But this is truly fucked.
So... is the thread title completely wrong? I see 1 dead?
RIP.
This is so sad. I love Barcelona.
Dude.
First it's entirely possible it's Spanish terrorists,
So... is the thread title completely wrong? I see 1 dead?
RIP.
I can't imagine how terrifying that must have been. I hope his kids recover from this.My brother is there with his 4 young kids, wife, and my cousin. My niece just turned 10 and this was a birthday trip for her.
They all ran for their lives and are hiding in a bar. Police have the entire area on lock down.
I've been talking to them and they're okay. But this is truly fucked.
They [the terrorists] have cottoned on to the fact that vehicle-based attacks can deliver a high body count with little effort. And more importantly such an attack is hard to prevent. Why go to the trouble of becoming a bomb expert when you can hire a van and drive it into a crowd of people? In theory you could plan such an attack entirely in your head, ie you don't need to go the trouble of researching stuff and risk leaking your 'plan'.
Did you miss what happened on Saturday?I'm never going to to Europe again at this rate.
I'm seriously considering canceling my Barcelona/London/Paris trip coming up in October - it's like all he signs are telling me no.
Unbelievable I can't ...
My HEART is out to all the victims
I'm seriously considering canceling my Barcelona/London/Paris trip coming up in October - it's like all he signs are telling me no.
Unbelievable I can't ...
My HEART is out to all the victims
Its a simpler evolution from what started in Beirut in 1981 with the embassy bombing using a van.
Like you said its easier to plan and doesn't require any expertise. Whether that be an individual or a group plan, its easier to carry out. It takes advantage of a lot of things from the terrorist playbook, like hiding in plain sight and not caring if you end up dead. Unfortunately, this will likely become more common.