5 suspects killed in counterterrorism operation south of Barcelona van attack

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August 18, 2017 1:54 AM

It was not clear how the operation was linked to the van attack in Barcelona on Thursday that so far has left 13 people dead.

The Spanish police say five suspects were killed in a counterterrorism operation in the town of Cambrils early Friday morning.

The five men were discovered during a security check, according to BBC's translation of La Vanguardia, a Spanish newspaper.

The men led the police on a chase, which ended when their van overturned. The police fired on the men as they got out of the vehicle, La Vanguardia reported.

One of the men, while on foot, attempted to stab people, the BBC said, citing the Spanish-language newspaper El País.

Catalan emergency services said six civilians and one police officer were injured in the incident, according to Reuters.

"We are working under the assumption that the events in Cambrils are related to a terrorist attack," the Catalan police tweeted, according to CNN. "We have brought down those allegedly responsible."

The scene in Cambrils, about 90 minutes outside Barcelona, unfolded hours after a van plowed into pedestrians in Barcelona's Las Ramblas, killing at least 13 people. The incident in Cambrils, the van attack in Barcelona, and an explosion in Alcanar that killed one person were believed to be linked, according to Catalan officials.

Emergency services advised on Twitter that people in the vicinity should "stay home, stay, safe," according to Reuters.

Video footage emerged that seemed to show the scene, with gunshots heard amid police sirens:

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