One Canadian has died and four others were injured in the terror attack in Barcelona on Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement released Friday.
“It was with great sadness that I learned today that one Canadian was killed and four others injured during yesterday’s cowardly terrorist attack in Barcelona. Sophie and I offer our condolences to the families and friends in mourning, and hope for a speedy recovery for the injured Canadians,” Trudeau said.
“We join Spain and countries around the world in grieving the senseless loss of so many innocent people. We must stand firm against the spread of hate and intolerance in all its forms. These violent acts that seek to divide us will only strengthen our resolve.”
In total 13 people were killed and over 100 were injured when a van plowed into pedestrians on Las Ramblas in Barcelona. ISIS quickly claimed responsibility. Three people were arrested, and a manhunt is underway for the driver of the van.
According to the Spanish civil guard, the dead and injured include people from 33 countries.
Les víctimes mortals i ferits atemptats #Cambrils i #Barcelona són (balanç provisional) de 34 nacionalitats diferents pic.twitter.com/IZCYMg1zJQ
— EmergènciesCatalunya (@emergenciescat) August 18, 2017
In a statement released earlier in the day on Friday, Global Affairs Canada said Canadians were affected in the attack but did not provide details.
“Our thoughts are with the Canadians who were affected by the terrorist attack that occurred in Barcelona, Spain,” Global Affairs Canada said in a statement.
“Global Affairs Canada is communicating with local authorities in order to gather additional information and we are in contact with the family members of the affected Canadian citizens in order to provide consular assistance. For privacy reasons, we are not able to release any further details.”
Canadians in Spain who require emergency consular assistance can contact the Consulate of Canada in Barcelona at +34 93 270 3614 or, call the government’s 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre at +1 613 996 8885, or email sos@international.gc.ca.
Las Ramblas is a tree-lined pedestrian mall lined with cafes and souvenir kiosks. There are two narrow service roads running along either side of the pedestrian mall.
On Thursday, Trudeau said in a statement that he was “deeply saddened” by the news.
“While we cannot ignore the outrage we feel, together we must renew our commitment to protect the freedom found in societies that promote unity, openness and inclusion,” wrote Trudeau, who has been out of the spotlight on a family vacation in British Columbia this week.
“Spain, we grieve with you and denounce hate and violence in all of its forms. Canada will continue working with the international community to fight terrorism and build a world where we can all feel safe and secure.”
Canadian Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer tweeted: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims. We stand together condemning these horrific acts of terrorism.”
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair called it terrible news: “We stand with Spain and all those impacted by this terror attack.”
Authorities were still reeling from the Barcelona attack when police in the popular seaside town of Cambrils, about 130 kilometres to the south, fatally shot five people near the town’s boardwalk who had plowed into a group of tourists and locals with their blue Audi 3. Catalonia’s interior minister, Joaquim Forn, told Onda Cero radio they were wearing fake bomb belts.
One woman died Friday from her injuries in the Cambrils attack, Catalan police said on Twitter. Five others were injured.
Amid heavy security, Barcelona tried to move forward Friday, with its iconic Las Ramblas promenade quietly reopening to the public and King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy joining thousands of residents and visitors in observing a minute of silence in the city’s main square.
“I am not afraid! I am not afraid!” the crowd chanted in Catalan amid applause.
The dual attacks unnerved a country that hasn’t seen an Islamic extremist attack since 2004, when al-Qaeda-inspired bombers killed 192 people in co-ordinated assaults on Madrid’s commuter trains. Unlike France, Britain, Sweden and Germany, Spain has largely been spared, thanks in part to a crackdown that has netted some 200 suspected jihadis in recent years.
