Moroccan involved in Barcelona attack escapes with fleeing civilians

A video has surfaced showing scared civilians escaping a mall in Barcelona following terror attack on August 17. The woman who filmed the video can be heard frequently asking those running away what had happened.

In the attack, a Moroccan man ploughed a van into dozens of people in Las Ramblas, Barcelona, killing 14 and leaving over 100 injured.

Also read: Barcelona attack: 14 dead, over 100 injured; ISIS claims responsibility

What was rather shocking in the video – aired Tuesday on Spanish channel Atena 3 and later by Al Arabiya.net – was a man seen at the 42-second mark, leaving the La Boqueria mall, adjacent to the attack’s location.

The woman asked him the same question when she passed by him: “Do you know what’s happening?”, but he responded saying: “I don’t know what happened,” then left without a trace.

The van’s driver
The young man is said to be Younes Abu Yakoub, who was actually the van’s driver. Yakoub fled the scene immediately after the attack, which ISIS had claimed responsibly for.

However, police in Subirats, located 50 kilometers away from Barcelona, surrounded him in a vineyard after receiving a call from a woman who claimed that one of the attack’s suspects was in the city.

Also read: The Moroccan who stole his brother’s identity to terrorize Spain

Yakoub was found wearing what was later discovered to be a fake explosive belt. The two sides exchanged fire until the 22-year-old attacker was shot dead.

Master plan
Yakoub had initially worn a shirt over the polo we see in the video, but later took it off after leaving the van. He walked 250 meters into the market to disappear in the crowd and soon enough escaped the city.

The man in the video was also seen in the mall’s CCTV footage and in pictures distributed by local police, confirming the suspect’s identity.