13 Dead in Barcelona Van Attack; ISIS Claims Barcelona Attackers as "Soldiers of Islamic State".
RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST: Good evening, it is 10:00 at night in Barcelona. The site of a terror attack that took place just five hours ago. The Catalan president says 12 people are dead in an attack in the heart of the tourist district. Eighty people are in hospital, many of them believed to have critical injuries. And moments ago, the ISIS media wing Amaq claimed the perpetrators were soldiers of the Islamic State. We can't confirm this yet. This is just reporting that was being said at the moment, so what actually happened? Well, the van started down the Las Ramblas at high-speed. Disturbing video of the scene of the attack shows pedestrians running for safety in shops. And then I warn you, these are disturbing pictures. Wounded people laying on the ground. The Catalan police say two people have been arrested. The government activated its chair protocols and held crisis meetings that ended a short time ago. Another development to bring you, moments ago a vehicle struck two policemen at a checkpoint in another part of Barcelona. The police had restricted traffic leaving the city. Officials say the officers have only minor injuries and they're not requiring hospital treatment. Rylee Carlson is tracking all developments for us and joins me now. The first thing to establish the scale of the carnage on the Ramblas, I mean do we have an idea how great it has been?</s>RYLEE CARLSON, REPORTER: Well part of understanding that, Richard, is also just understanding the scale of the Ramblas. This is a massive pedestrian way in Barcelona. The beating heart of the city. Very much like the Champs-Elysees in Paris. It's full of bars. It's full of cafes. Full of stores. And on any evening in August, it would have been packed with people. Now we know as you mentioned, 12 people have been killed in this attack. That's the death toll so far, 80 people at least have been injured. That's a very large number. And we know that at least 15 of those people are seriously injured. There are still concerns here that the death toll could rise as well. Police have opened a terrorism investigation. They say that is what they are operating on at the moment. And now as you mentioned, we've also heard claims from the ISIS affiliated news agency. That they say soldiers of the Islamic Caliphate carried out the attack.</s>QUEST: Let me -- the second incident of two police officers being run over. Related? Do we know, are these the two people who are said to have been trying to get to a getaway car after the attack on the Ramblas?</s>CARLSON: Well we're still trying to figure out and confirm at this point exactly if that apparent attack on these two police officers is related to what happened on the Ramblas. We know this happened in a town just outside Barcelona. Two Catalonian police officers were hit. We also know how and we can report that the police officers hit by the car have minor injuries and they will not need to be hospitalized. So that is good news from that. But we don't know at this point who the suspects were in that attack or if they are connected to what happened on the Ramblas, Richard?</s>QUEST: At the moment it's not clear whether the perpetrators of this heinous attack are still at large?</s>CARLSON: Exactly. And that's what's very difficult for investigators in the aftermath of this kind of attack. When there are so many people and the chaos can be so great. As people are running everywhere. People are trying to get away. And it could be conceivably quite easy for somebody to slip away into the crowd. So, we know that two people are arrested, the first person that was arrested is believed to be connected to the van. But we don't know at this point how he might be connected.</s>QUEST: Rylee, we'll come back to you, when you have more report come back to us immediately. And will take you straight to air. Spain hadn't seen this type of truck and van attacks that have hit Nice, Berlin, London and Stockholm. But as Rylee was saying and is worth pointing out this is the area that we are talking about. Anybody who has been to Barcelona is well familiar with the Ramblas. It is the heart of the tourist section. It is the intersection, and this car came down the Ramblas, getting as far perhaps as the opera. Why is this so significant? The van starts at the Playa Catalonia and it's a major transit hub. That's the other thing whether you're visiting the Cathedral or going to the La Boqueria market or the Opera or going to the Gothic quarter itself. It doesn't really matter. At some point all roads, all transportation ends up going through Playa Catalunya. Now all services have been shut down. It's important to mention that all major events have been canceled. As you can see. Hotels are taking in stranded visitors at the same time. So, the death toll, the number of people dead, the number of people dead started at 13. Then it was reduced to 12. Now back up to 13. Joining me now is Peter Newman, the director of the international center for the study of radicalization and political violence. Thank you, sir. You are in London. Let's talk to you about this claim. I won't say claim of responsibility. But it's an ISIS agency, ISIS site, Amaq, that said it was Islamic State who did this even though it may not have been from the top.</s>PETER NEWMAN, DIRECTOR, THE INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF RADICALIZATION AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE: Yes, and the claim itself is credible. It is authentic, it was disseminated in the right forums on the Internet. The question is what connection, what link exists between ISIS and these attackers? Were they fully signed up members of ISIS? Were they directed by ISIS? Or were they simply inspired by ISIS? In all of these cases, ISIS would claim responsibility, which doesn't necessarily however, mean that ISIS actually directed the attack.</s>QUEST: It's interesting, but I question the significance in that sense, you know, you've got 12 people dead on the streets, 13 people dead and possibly more will die on the streets of Barcelona. Does it make a difference if it's inspired, activated or directed?</s>NEWMAN: It makes a difference because it would tell the police for example, whether networks that exist in Barcelona are actually connected to these attacks. Whether for example this means that other people knew about it. And that perhaps other people involved in these networks are planning further attacks. It does make a difference to know whether this is connected to ISIS or whether this is a lone attacker who was simply inspired from the incident.</s>QUEST: Let's go through the sort of attacks we've seen. Nice, height of the tourist season. Berlin, was at Christmas. London, hitting the major areas of Westminster Bridge and the like. Now we come to Barcelona with the Ramblas. I'm sure you're familiar with the area. One can't think of a worse area for the sheer number of tourists that would make this sort of attack so dreadful.</s>NEWMAN: Absolutely. If anything, it demonstrates what terrorism is all about. It's about inspiring terror. It's about creating the sensation in the minds of the people that this could have been me. If you or I look at these pictures, were thinking about the times that we have been to Barcelona. We've all been on the street and we're all thinking, this might have been us. I know exactly where this was. This is exactly what terrorism is about. It's about killing a few people, but creating the sensation of terror in a whole society.</s>QUEST: Many of us. Myself certainly included are getting texts and e- mails from friends saying they were in Barcelona, yesterday or the day before or they still have friends in Barcelona at the moment. So, suppose the impossible question for you, Sir, how safe is anywhere? Such as a major tourist destination at the height of the European summer season?</s>NEWMAN: I think, I still do believe, in statistics. And I think even as someone who studies terrorism, who looks at this day in day out that statistically speaking the risk of being killed in a terrorist attack is still tiny, tiny, tiny. I would not hesitate going into any crowded space anywhere in Europe. But of course, these attacks are, half the purpose of creating the impression in your minds, that it could happen anywhere. Any time. I think if we allow ourselves to be too scared and are hiding away, we are kind of allowing terrorists to win.</s>QUEST: Valid point. Thank you, sir for joining us. Don't go too far away. We may be needing more from you in a short while. Sara Canals joins me on the line. She's a reporter for 8TV in Barcelona. Sara, can you hear me, it is Richard Quest in New York.</s>SARA CANALS, REPORTER, 8TV: I can hear you, good evening, Richard. How are you?</s>QUEST: Good evening, Sara. I need to tell you me where you are, and what you're seeing.</s>CANALS: Right now, I'm at the beginning of Las Ramblas, right away in the street of Las Ramblas, in Placa de Catalonia. In this intersection, where the terrorist attack started. So, I'm here, at the beginning of Las Ramblas right now.</s>QUEST: I'm looking at a map as I am talking to you. We see the direction that the car went. What is the scene tonight? How much can you see? What can you tell us of what is there now?</s>CANALS: I'm here for the last three or four hours, streets are empty. Police are everywhere. Still checking the streets, there has been about 100 people confined inside, several bars and restaurants around Las Ramblas. So right now, about an hour ago, the police started to take people away from this place. So, that's what I've been seeing for the last hour. Groups of people from 10 to 20 and going out from these places. Being surrounded by police and being assisted here in the Plaza Catalonia. Where there's a lot of dozens and dozens of cars, police cars. So that's the situation right now. People are pretty's shocked. People are, there silent. There's shock. People a few people want to talk to us, people are really emotional right now. Shocked. So that's the mood.</s>QUEST: When this happened, five hours ago, just over five hours ago, the car entered the Ramblas from the Placa de Catalonia, and it carried straight down. It must have been the most horrific moment for the tens of thousands of tourists, thousands. Who would have been enjoying a beautiful summer evening in August.</s>CANALS: Sure, and actually Las Ramblas, you said it's a tourist spot. There's always tourist walking around Las Ramblas. But also, a lot of people here, people who have their bars, Catalunya. So, at the moment of the attack I was in the newsroom. We heard about, we heard about. We saw some videos on twitter and we right away went to the area. But we couldn't believe it. We were also shocked. Because Las Ramblas, it's never empty. There's a lot of tourists. There is a lot of people. So, it was pretty shocking.</s>QUEST: How tonight, tonight and I know you say that the people that you've seen and the people you're speaking to, they are, there shocked. Is there a feeling, is there a feeling of fear in Barcelona tonight?</s>CANALS: Of fear?</s>QUEST: Yes,</s>CANALS: Yes. Yes, it is. Because actually we still don't know what happened, exactly. For several hours, there was a local media reporting on an attacker being inside a bar. And holding hostages. But later, you know, police said it was not true. So, there's a lot of questions about the attack and people. People are scared. We still don't know what's going on. There is a helicopter, I don't know if you guys hear it. There's helicopters flying and checking the area. We cannot move from here right now. And we don't know what's going on. Police have been delivering information, but they still are sending a message of caution. People should stay home. People should or people who are leaving the restaurants where they were, they should go straight home. So, yes. There is fear in the atmosphere.</s>QUEST: Sara Canals, a reporter joining us from ATV in Barcelona. Thank you, Sara and obviously when there's more to report, will come back to you. Thank you, we appreciate it, we know you've got your busy duties for your own station. Allow we just to recap as you look as you look at these pictures from Barcelona tonight where it is 10:15 at night. It's now known that 13 people have died in a van attack in the Spanish city of Barcelona, 80 people are in hospital. There have been two suspects arrested. In a separate incident, perhaps related, we don't know to policeman were run over. We're not sure whether the suspects arrested are related to that incident. But as you can tell from the pictures coming to us tonight live from Spain, second largest city. And the capital Catalunya, it is one of those days when once again, Europe is under terror attack.