Story By: Alex Cope, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Central European News
Video Credit: CEN/La Vanguardia
These are the startling images taken during the Barcelona terror attacks which show an ice-cream shop owner herding tourists into his shop and lowering the shutters to protect them.
The video was taken during the terrorist attacks in Barcelona on the 17th August 2017 but have only just been released by Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia.
In the video, the owner of the ice-cream shop on the famous La Rambla street in Barcelona city centre can be seen looking bewildered as dozens of people come streaming into his shop.
The owner then quickly realises something serious is happening and climbs over the counter before herding people into the shop for protection.
He then begins lowering the shutters to protect those inside, stopping halfway down to allow others to get in.
Terrified tourists and locals can be then seen consoling each other during the attack which saw 22-year-old Younes Abouyaaqoub drive a van into pedestrians on La Rambla, killing 13.
The videos were published by La Vanguardia as part of the summary of the case instructed by the National Court.
Picture Credits: CEN/La Vanguardia
Spanish newspaper El Periodico report that Catalan police had identified four members of the terrorist cell who carried out the attack a month before it happened.
A patrol car on an industrial estate in the Badalona area of the city had identified Omar Hichamy, Mohamed Houli, Said Aalla and Moussa Oukabir on July 9th.
The National Court’s report states that it is “very likely” the four had gone to the industrial estate to buy materials needed to carry out the attacks “that they had in mind to carry out”.
Moussa Oukabir, Omar Hichamy and Said Aalla were shot dead by police on 18th August after driving an Audi A3 into a crowd of pedestrians in the town of Cambrils just outside Barcelona.
Mohamed Houli survived an explosion in the municipality of Alcanar on 16th August which killed two.
The explosion was caused by stock-piled explosives accidentally going off and Houli was arrested and charged with being a member of a terror organisation, murder and possession of explosives. He remains in custody.