A van drove into a crowd of people on Las Ramblas, the main tourist and commercial street in Barcelona, on Thursday, killing and injuring several people in what authorities said was a terrorist attack. Two suspects have been arrested, according to police.
In the aftermath of the attack, rumors started spreading online about the perpetrators and their motivations.
Here's the online misinformation so far:
1. There was no hostage situation in Barcelona as early reports suggested.
Soon after the attack, reports surfaced of a hostage situation in a cafe or bar in Barcelona, but it later became clear this was false.
Authorities later explicitly denied rumors that a man had taken hostages in a nearby bar.
"There is no one entrenched itself in any bar in the center of #Barcelona," police tweeted.
2. This is not a photo of one of the attackers, it's comedian Sam Hyde.
An image of this man as one of the suspects pops up in the aftermath of nearly every attack, but it's actually comedian Sam Hyde, who has a history of pranks.
3. According to the official Twitter account of Spain's Civil Guard, some misinformation about the attack is circulating on WhatsApp.
Here's some false information the tweet says to watch out for:
- "The alert was raised to 5, which means an imminent attack. Don't take public transport, don't gather in tourist areas."
- "They have cancelled vacations and have sent more police from Madrid. There is a team in the airport."
- "The Renfe [a Spanish train service] is filled with police."
4. Attacks did not take place in the Spanish city of Vilassar or the Arc de Triomphe in Barcelona — despite rumors.
Catalonia's official emergency services told followers to stay tuned to its account and @mossos — the Catalonian police force — for updates on any further attacks. In addition to the van attack in Barcelona, suspected terrorists attempted an attack in the Spanish city of Cambrils. Official accounts were quick to tweet the new information.
5. Law enforcement not working any kind of terrorist incident in the Spanish town of Reus, the Catalonian police force said.
Thirteen People Have Died In Barcelona After A Van Rammed Into A Crowd In A Terror Attack
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