Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Driss Oukabir: Police arrest man linked to Barcelona attack after 13 die in van terror incident

Two police officers reported to have been run over at a checkpoint as detectives hunt another vehicle

Benjamin Kentish
Thursday 17 August 2017 20:50 BST
Comments
Driss Oukabir is reported to have lived around 80 miles north of Barcelona
Driss Oukabir is reported to have lived around 80 miles north of Barcelona (EPA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Spanish police have arrested a suspect in connection with the terrorist attack in Barcelona.

Driss Oukabir, who is reported to be 28, is alleged to have rented the van used in the attack that left at least 13 people dead and dozens more injured.

He denies being involved in the attack and says his younger brother, 18-year old Moussa Oukabir, stole his identification in order to rent the van.

Oukabir was born in the Moroccan town of Aghbala and later moved to Marseille, according to local media reports. His Facebook page, which has now been taken down, said he lived in the Catalan town of Ripoli, around 80 miles north of Barcelona.

He reportedly spent time in prison in the Catalan city of Figueres before being released in 2012.

Security sources told El Pais that Oukabir had recently visited Morocco and arrived back in Barcelona on 13 August.

Police are also reported to be searching for a White Ford Focus that jumped a police checkpoint, running over two officers.

Some reports suggested the vehicle had been involved in a firefight with police.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in