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Alcanar: the coastal idyll where young militants hatched Barcelona plot Alcanar: the coastal idyll where young militants hatched Barcelona plot
(35 minutes later)
The young men on their motorbikes had been coming and going for months, the sound of engines throbbing and scattering stones on the dirt track leading to their country house in Alcanar, eastern Spain. The young men on powerful motorbikes had been coming and going for months, the throbbing sound of Kawasaki engines and the scattering of stones on the track leading to their country house in Alcanar, eastern Spain, announcing their arrival.
Neighbours doubted that the young-looking men of north African origin had rented the house as a holiday home, despite the views of the Mediterranean. But they knew that the property bore the hallmarks of repossession by Banco Popular, having lived through a destructive, loan-fuelled property crash. Spaniards often do not feel much concern when squatters take to such places. Neighbours doubted the men, mostly young-looking and all seemingly of north African origin, had rented the house as a holiday home – despite the views out across the sparkling Mediterranean from this ramshackle estate of properties surrounded by scrub, pines and small olive groves. But they knew that Banco Popular had repossessed it and, having lived through a destructive, loan-fuelled property crash, Spaniards tend not to feel much concern when such properties are squatted.
At about the same time as the second explosion, Abouyaaqoub was steering one of the two white Fiat vans that the cell had rented though Barcelona toward the short, broad Pelai street that leads to the top of Las Ramblas. He then turned right on to the pedestrian centre of the boulevard and accelerated. Five hundred yards later, the van came to a halt and Abouyaaqoub, wearing a striped T-shirt and white cap, ran into the narrow streets of the Raval neighbourhood. Behind him lay chaos and carnage. “Perhaps someone should have called the police,” said Carmen Circiumaru, who lives a few doors away. “But they never did anything that seemed especially suspicious.” Indeed, the young men, and at least one older, bearded man who sometimes appeared here, were quiet and respectful.
The dead and the injured came from 22 countries and were of all religious beliefs. One unidentified British victim was still in hospital on Saturday, according to La Vanguardia newspaper. Several of the dead have yet to be named. It was not until an explosion ripped through the building on Wednesday night, raining masonry and human remains on to their gardens, that people began to worry. And when, hours later, a van ploughed through the crowds on Las Ramblas in Barcelona, that worry built into something else.
While panicked, screaming tourists sought refuge in bars, shops, hotels and restaurants, a manhunt through the nearby streets failed to find Abouyaaqoub. Roadblocks were set up, snarling up the traffic and filtering outgoing cars past the eyes of police. Among other vehicles, police were seeking a second white van from the Telefurgo company that had been rented at the same time as the one on Las Ramblas. Investigators now believe this was where the events of Thursday and Friday started. Police carried out controlled explosions at the house yesterday morning and continued to pick through the rubble to try to understand how a dozen young men – at least one of whom, at 17, is still legally a minor – brought carnage to Catalonia.
At one checkpoint, a Ford Focus refused to stop and sped away, running over a policewoman’s foot in the process. After three kilometres the car was abandoned. To the surprise of police, it contained the body of a man who had been stabbed to death. The driver had disappeared. Police have now arrested the only survivor of the Alcanar explosion, Mohamed Houli Chemlal, who had been taken to a hospital in nearby Tortosa. The remains of at least one other man were found in the rubble on Friday. Spanish media are linking those remains to an overnight raid on the apartment of Abdelbaki Es Satty, 40, a former imam in the country town of Ripoll, northern Catalonia, but there is no confirmation from police. Chemlal, who was born in the Spanish north African enclave of Melilla, lived in the same town.
By now, however, the other hired van had been found parked outside a Burger King in Vic, an hour’s drive from Barcelona. Documents showed that the van (or vans) had been rented by Driss Oukabir, whose photograph was immediately released. Two more people have since been arrested in Ripoll and at least three of those shot in Cambrils were from the town. Only one member of the cell is thought to remain at large – Younes Abouyaaqoub, 22, from Ripoll, now Europe’s most wanted man. He went to school there and was described by former classmates as quiet and well-behaved. Abouyaaqoub was at the wheel of the van that drove down Las Ramblas.
Twenty-seven-year-old Oukabir later walked through the doors of the police station in Ripoll, saying that his passport had been stolen. It was only now that police began to realise how young the attackers might be – Driss’s younger brother, Moussa, was just 17-years-old. Spain is in mourning this weekend, but the death toll could have been much worse. These were not expert bomb-makers, nor, it seems, experienced fighters returning from Syria or Iraq. None was viewed by police as anything more than a petty crook. They were seen as high-school dropouts and radicalised youths – perhaps low-level drug dealers.
As night fell, Moussa was preparing a second attack with four others – mostly friends from Ripoll such as 24-year-old Mohamed Hychami and 18-year-old Said Aalla, who played in the local five-a-side soccer league. They no longer had explosives. But they had a blue Audi A3, and a collection of knives and axes. The attackers in Borough Market, Vauxhall and elsewhere had shown that this was enough. The house in Alcanar was reduced to rubble by the blast. The first to reach the site immediately saw the source of the explosion – hissing bottles of gas, filling the air with fumes.
The plan was to find another busy pedestrian walkway, run people down and then jump out of the car with weapons, hacking and stabbing people to death. Such crowds can be found in many of the tourist resorts along the Catalan coast. Like the Borough Market attackers, they built fake bomb vests with aluminium foil and set out to find a target. Police have so far recovered more than 100 gas bottles. Many remain intact. A truckful of these attached to a bomb could have caused vast damage. Police believe the attackers were preparing up to three such “van bombs”.
The second onslaught in Cambrils was underway. The Audi A3 accelerated through a checkpoint, running over a policewoman’s foot in the process. After three kilometres the car was abandoned. To the surprise of police, it contained the body of a man who had been stabbed to death. The driver had disappeared. The explosion forced the cell to change their plans, believing that police were about to catch them. In fact, police at first suspected the house had been used for storing, cooking or growing illegal drugs. Trapped gas caused a second explosion on Thursday afternoon, sending more rubble into nearby properties. At about the same time as that explosion, Abouyaaqoub was steering one of the two vans the cell had rented through Barcelona towards the short, broad Pelai street that leads to the top of Las Ramblas.
By now, however, the other hired van had been found parked outside a Burger King in Vic, an hour’s drive from Barcelona. Documents showed that the van (or vans) had been rented by Driss Oukabir, whose photograph was immediately released. Twenty-seven-year-old Oukabir later walked through the doors of the police station in Ripoll, saying that his passport had been stolen. It was only now that police began to realise how young the attackers might be – Driss’s younger brother, Moussa, was just 17-years-old. Five hundred metres down the road, the van came to a halt and Abouyaaqoub, wearing a striped T-shirt and white cap, ran into the narrow streets of the Raval neighbourhood. Behind him lay chaos. Dead and injured from 22 countries were scattered across the pavements. One unidentified British victim was still in hospital last night, according to La Vanguardia newspaper. Several of the dead have yet to be named.
It is unclear why they chose Cambrils, a quiet resort where most people are tucked up in bed by 1am. But was when the car ran down some pedestrians and then rammed a police car at a checkpoint on the beach road. The reaction was swift and deadly. As panicked tourists sought refuge in bars, shops, hotels and restaurants that swiftly dropped their metal blinds, a manhunt through surrounding streets failed to find Abouyaaqoub. Roadblocks were set up, snarling up the traffic and filtering cars past the eyes of police. Among other vehicles, police were seeking a second white van from the Telefurgo company that had been rented at the same time as the one on Las Ramblas.
Four were killed after they scrambled out of the overturned vehicle, reportedly by a single police officer. “One of them was shouting about Allah as he ran down the road,” said witness jose Ramon Arana, who watched from his second floor, seafront balcony. “You could hear the bullets zinging as they bounced off the pavement.” Two hours later, a Ford Focus accelerated through one of these checkpoints where the already broad Avinguda Diagonal road turns into a multilane motorway. The driver ran over a policewoman’s foot. Three kilometres later the car was abandoned. It contained the body of a man who had been stabbed to death. The driver had disappeared.
A fifth terrorist – who on video appears to look like 17-year-old Moussa Oukabir – escaped but was later found on the seafront. “On the ground! On the ground!” police shouted, but, instead, he shouted back at them. He fell down after being shot, but then got up again and ran towards them. Further shots rang out, and he collapsed on to the asphalt road. Soon he, too, was dead. By now, however, the other hired van had been found – parked outside a Burger King in the town of Vic, an hour’s drive from Barcelona. Documents showed the van (or vans) had been rented by Driss Oukabir, whose photograph was immediately released. Very soon, however, Oukabir, 27, walked through the doors of the police station in Ripoll, saying his passport had been stolen. It was only now that police began to realise how young the attackers might be, since the thief was Oukabir’s brother, Moussa, aged 17.
As police identified the casualties, the Ripoll connection became clear. The first suspects to be identified – Oubakir, Aalla and Hychami – all came from this town. With 500 people of a total population of 10,500, of Moroccan origin, the suspects could not have gone unnoticed. As night fell, Moussa was preparing a second attack with four others – mostly friends from Ripoll, including Mohamed Hychami, 24, and Said Aalla,18, who played in the local five-a-side football league. They no longer had explosives. But they had a blue Audi A3 car, and knives and axes. The London attack in Borough Market in June showed this was enough to cause carnage.
“Everyone, more or less, knows the Oubakir brothers,” said one neighbour. A rebellious Driss had been to jail when younger, but was considered to have mended his ways. Moussa had studied to become an administrative assistant at the local high school and was currently on a work training programme. The attackers’ plan was seemingly to find another busy pedestrian walkway, run people down and then jump out of the car with weapons. Such crowds can be found all along the Catalan coast tourist resorts. It is unclear why they chose Cambrils, a quiet resort where most people are tucked up in bed by 1am. But this was when the car ran down some pedestrians and then rammed a police car at a checkpoint on the beach road.
His family had tried to fit into this Catalan town, where the established community of north African immigrants mostly work on local farms. His Moroccan mother, who had attended Catalan classes as the family tried to assimilate the culture of the town, was reported to be distraught. “The family say it is better for him that he is dead,” the local Ara newspaper reported. The reaction was swift and deadly. Four were killed after they scrambled out of the overturned vehicle, reportedly by a single police officer. “One of them was shouting about Allah as he ran down the road,” said witness José Ramon Arana, who watched from his second-floor, seafront balcony.
The two other arrested men are Said Aalla’s brother Mohammed Aallaa, 27, and 30-year-old Sahal el-Karib. “You could hear the bullets zinging as they bounced off the pavement.” A fifth attacker – who video footage shows looked much like Oukabir – escaped but was later found on the seafront. “On the ground! On the ground!” police shouted, but, instead, he shouted back at them. He was shot, fell down, but then got up again and ran towards them. Further shots rang out and he collapsed. Soon he, too, was dead.
How these men came together to from a terror cell remains a mystery. None of those identified so far were known to have radical views. Nor had they been caught up in Spain’s procedure for tackling terror, which involves arresting suspects on slight evidence or minor crimes. Until now, no serious attack on Spanish soil had occurred since a dozen bombs were planted on Madrid commuter trains in 2004. As police identified the corpses, the Ripoll connection became stronger. The first three bodies to be identified – of Oukabir, Aalla and Hychami – were all from the town. In this town, with its population of just 10,500, 500 of whom were born in Morocco, few people remain unnoticed. “Everyone, more or less, knows the Oukabir brothers,” said a neighbour.
More than a quarter of arrests over the past five years have been in and around Barcelona, with 18 people arrested on suspicion of terrorism in Catalonia this year. Almost half a million Muslims make up Catalonia’s population of 7 million, but many young Muslims are frustrated at the inability to integrate. A rebellious Driss had been to jail when younger but was considered to have mended his ways. Moussa had studied to become a school administrative assistant and was on a work-training programme. His family had tried to fit in to this Catalan town whose north African immigrants, now an established community, mostly work on farms. His mother, who had attended Catalan classes as the family tried to assimilate, was reported to be distraught. “The family say it is better for him that he is dead,” the local Ara newspaper reported.
The tucked away house in Alcanar, visible only to unsuspecting neighbours, must have seemed the perfect base. The news has forced many tourists in the cheap hostels lto leave or cancel their trips. The two other arrested men, apart from Oukabir and Chemlal, are Aalla’s brother and Salh El Karib, aged 30.
At the hostal Montecarlo, 100 metres away, a tray full of chunks of masonry rests on the bar counter. It blasted on to the terrace from the terrorist cell’s bomb factory on Wednesday night. It contains future clues about what the cell was planning. How this group came together to form a terror cell remains a mystery. None of those identified was a known radical – though questions are now being asked about the oldest alleged member of the cell, Es Satty. Nor had they been caught up in the Spanish method for dealing with the Islamist terror threat – which involves arresting suspects on even thin evidence or minor crimes, in the knowledge that they may be almost immediately released by magistrates. Until now, with no serious attack in Spain since a similar gang of radicalised petty crooks planted a dozen bombs on Madrid commuter trains in 2004, this tactic had appeared to work.
More than a quarter of arrests over the past five years have been in and around Barcelona and 18 people have been arrested on suspicion of terrorism in Catalonia so far this year. With almost half a million Muslims among its population of 7 million, experts disagree over whether there are signs of growing radicalisation. But young Muslims frustrated at their inability to integrate are among those most susceptible to radicalisation. Second-generation immigrants, who have been a common denominator in many terror attacks in Europe, are far more common in Catalonia than other parts of Spain.
With police pressure so intense, the house in Alcanar – tucked away, with mostly foreigners for neighbours – must have seemed a perfect base. A tray sits on the bar at Hostal Montecarlo, 100 metres away, covered with dust and masonry blasted on to the hostel’s terrace from the bomb factory. Future clues about what the cell was planning, and information about any ties to Isis, will probably come from the same place.