Spanish police shot dead Younes Abouyaaqoub Monday afternoon, meaning that all known members of the terror cell that perpetrated last week’s deadly attack have now been killed or arrested by the security services.
According to reports in Spain’s La Vanguardia, a local of Subirats, a small town 30 miles West of Barcelona spotted a man that resembled the description of the Barcelona attacker and alerted police. Shortly afterwards response teams arrived and shot the man dead.
El Pais reports when the suspected terrorist was ambushed by police he shouted “Allah Akbar”, an Arabic phrase meaning “Allah is Great”, before he was shot dead at a range of 40 feet.
A bomb disposal robot was then deployed to investigate what appeared to be a suicide bomb-belt on the man.
A number of the terrorists killed by Spanish security services after attacks on Thursday had been wearing fake suicide belts — it was determined Monday that Abouyaaqoub has also been wearing a fake bomb belt at the time of his death Monday. The London Bridge attackers who were shot dead by a police armed response unit earlier this year were also wearing fake bomb belts, leading to speculation that the pretend devices were to ensure martyrdom.
A Europe-wide manhunt was launched over the weekend after it became clear Abouyaaqoub had escaped Barcelona, and thanks to the European Union’s open borders could have fled across the continent.
This situation is quickly developing and more will follow
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