The terror cell that struck Barcelona on August 17 and killed 14 people and wounded over a hundred had originally planned to drive three vans packed with explosives into iconic parts of Barcelona including the Sagrada Familia cathedral, it has been reported.
Had their butane-filled gas containers not accidentally detonated the night before the atrocities on Aug 17, the 12-person terror cell would have used them to maximise deaths in the tourist hotspots of the Spanish city, local media suggest.
They intended to explode one van in Las Ramblas, a second by the world-famous Sagrada Familia cathedral and the last in the port area of the city, El Espanol has claimed.
To detonate the gas, they intended to use the same TATP explosives – also known as the ‘Mother of Satan’ – that were blown up in the 7/7 bombings in London.
The cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the most visited attractions in Europe.
Architect Antonio Gaudi began construction in 1882 and, despite him dying in 1926, it is still officially incomplete.
In 2010 it was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI as a minor basilica.
Investigators believe a 12-strong terror cell planned to detonate the highly-explosive gas, using plastic explosive TATP – which was also found at the site – in its attack on the Catalan city’s tourist district.
But less than 24 hours before the atrocity, one member was killed in an accidental blast. Police have said there may still be another body buried in the rubble of the house in Alcanar, which is more than 120 miles south of Barcelona.
More than 20 butane gas canisters were found intact in the wreckage, as well as Acetone peroxide (TATP) – nicknamed ‘Mother of Satan’ because of the high number of accidental explosions it causes.
The discovery supports claims by Spanish police that the gang planned to murder hundreds in a terrorist ‘spectacular’.
Had the explosion not happened, a police chief said, the attack would have had ‘bigger scope’.
(source: Daily Mail)