Pope Francis prays for Barcelona victims
The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Greg Burke has said that Pope Francis was greatly disturbed by the attack in Barcelona.
He also said that the Pope prayed for the victims and expressed his closeness to the Spanish people in particular the injured and the families of the victims. Thirteen people were killed in the terror attack yesterday in the popular Las Ramblas area of the city when a white van zigzagged at high speed down the busy avenue thronged with tourists, knocking down pedestrians.
Spain has mounted a sweeping anti-terror operation. As security forces hunted for the van's driver, who was seen escaping on foot, police said they had killed five attackers on Thursday night in Cambrils, a town south of Barcelona, to thwart a "terrorist attack" using explosive belts.
Thursday's carnage was the latest in a string of attacks in the past 13 months in European cities including Nice, Berlin, London and Stockholm.