THE TERROR attack which left 13 people dead and dozens more injured in Barcelona has come just four months after nine were arrested in and around the city in a major anti-terrorism campaign linked to attacks on Brussels last year.
Eight Moroccans and a Spaniard aged between 21 and 39 were arrested across Barcelona and surrounding towns over the Brussels suicide bombings in which 32 civilians and the three perpetrators were killed.
The Catalan regional president, Carles Puigdemont, confirmed that two people had been arrested in connection with the latest terrorist atrocity which saw a Fiat van hit a crowd in the Barcelona city centre.
Police released a photo of Moroccan-born attack suspect Driss Oukabir Soprano who is alleged to have rented the van in the town of Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, 15 miles from where the atrocity took place. He is thought to be the first person arrested.
His Facebook page, now deleted, showed that he had shared a post on July 21 showing graphic photographs and video of a child appearing to be manhandled by an Israeli soldier.
The translated caption reads, "Alas! what has happened to our Arabism. Even the children haven't been rescued from the Israeli occupation. Post this video to be watched by the whole people in the world."
The message was posted just days after two Israeli officers were killed in a shooting in Jerusalem's Old City.
One Spanish paper reported that although a warrant had been issued for his arrest over allegations of domestic abuse, police did not suspect him of any jihadi activity. Another said he had spent time in prison in Figueres, Catalonia, and had been released in 2012.
One local Spanish newspaper claimed the CIA warned local Barcelona police two months ago that the city's famous Las Ramblas tourist strip could be targeted.
The warning reportedly came after a wave of van or lorry-style attacks targeting pedestrians on streets around Europe.
Police are hunting for the driver of a white Fiat van, who fled on foot after the attack in Las Ramblas, one of the most well-known and popular parts of the city, visited by tourists and locals alike because of its market stalls, bars and restaurant.
The vehicle careered into terrified pedestrians in the busy tree-lined promenade, one of the most popular parts of the city, visited by tourists and locals alike.
According to unconfirmed reports, two attackers were holed up in a bar near the scene.
The arrests in April, carried out in conjunction with the Belgian authorities, were part of an eight-month investigation into Islamist militants with links to organised crime in Catalonia. Police also pounced on 12 properties in Barcelona in dawn raids.
One security analyst said said it brought the number detained over jihadism in Barcelona to 61 since 2012.
Witnesses to the Barcelona atrocity talks of human stampedes and scenes of chaos and panic as the horror developed.
Tom Markwell from New Orleans, who was just arriving in a taxi in Las Ramblas, said: "I heard a crowd screaming. It sounded like they were screaming for a movie star.
"I saw the van. It had already been busted on the front. It was weaving left and right, trying to hit people as fast as possible. There were people lying on the ground."
Kevin Kwast, who was eating with his family in La Boqueria market close to where the incident happened said hundreds of people started "stampeding through the market".
He started running and saw casualties on the ground near to a restaurant.
"A smaller crowd was running away from that scene to the north west. We got trapped between the crowds and the heavily-armed police running around the area.
"Police pushed us into a money transfer shop and we've been sheltering there for over an hour."
Ethan Spibey, a charity director on holiday in the city, said he had taken shelter in a nearby church with several others after the van ramming.
"All of a sudden it was real kind of chaos... people just started running screaming. There was kind of a mini stampede.
"It seems like a lot of people have taken refuge in shops and local cafes.
He said he had been locked in a church near Las Ramblas, which was providing food and water to some "visibly shaken" locals and tourists.
Prime Minister Theresa May said the UK "stands with Spain against terror" in condemning the "terrible" assault and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon urged people to stay safe in the aftermath of the "horrific and mindless attack".
US president Donald Trump wrote on Twitter: "The United States condemns the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, and will do whatever is necessary to help. Be tough & strong, we love you!"
And US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned terrorists they will be brought to justice in the wake of the Las Ramblas attack.
"Terrorists around the world should know - the United States and our allies are resolved to find you and bring you to justice," he said.
The Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, cancelled his holiday in Galicia, north-west Spain, to return to Madrid. He tweeted that he was in contact with the local authorities, saying the priority was to help the victims and facilitate the work of security forces.
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