Thousands of Muslims March Against Terrorism in Barcelona after Van Attack

Local Editor

2,500 Muslims marched in Barcelona to condemn terrorism. The rally kicked off at the Plaza de Catalunya, close to where a suspected extremist rammed a van into pedestrians on Las Ramblas, killing 14 and injuring 100 people.

Muslim communities of Barcelona gathered on Monday evening at the square to support the victims and condemn terrorism, El Pais reported.

People from across the city began flocking to the venue, reaching more than 2,500 by 7pm local time, Barcelona police said.

The Plaza de Catalunya lies very close to Las Ramblas, where the devastating terror attack took place earlier this week.

As people amassed in the square, representatives of three Islamic communities delivered a statement in Catalan, Spanish and Arabic, saying local Muslims rejected violence and offered support to those injured in the attack.

Improvised placards reading "We are also victims," "Terrorism has no religion," "We are all Barcelona, not terrorism," were held by the crowd.

People then moved ahead, raising a large green banner that read: "We are Muslims, not terrorists."

The Barcelona terror attack took place on Thursday, when a hired white Fiat van veered off the road and plowed into pedestrians at high speed for several hundred meters.

The driver, later identified as a 22-year-old Moroccan national by the name of Younes Abouyaaqoub, killed 14 people and injured more than 100.

Abouyaaqoub managed to escape the scene on foot, triggering a massive manhunt in Spain and beyond. On Monday, Spanish police confirmed that the suspect was gunned down at a gas station in Subirats, just outside Barcelona.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team