The so-called “Islamic State” have claimed responsibility for yesterday’s van attack in Barcelona which has killed at least 13 people.
The deadly attack which has injured more than 100 people when a vehicle ploughed into crowds of pedestrians in the busy La Ramblas tourist district.
ISIS have claimed responsibility for a number of similar attacks in mainland Europe.
The group’s claim was issued on their news agency Amaq.
The message said: “The perpetrators of the attack in Barcelona are Islamic State soldiers and carried out the operation on command of Khilafah of targeting coalition countries”.
The “coalition” refers to the US-led military campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
The group frequently claims responsibility for these attacks in Europe, even when in most cases they have been carried out by “lone wolves”.
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ISIS has been experiencing major losses on the battlefield, namely when it lost Mosul last month.
Security experts and intelligence services have stated that the losses in Iraq and Syria could result in ISIS to carry out these attacks in highly populated cities in the West.
