LONDON, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Barcelona and its famous Las Ramblas were a sitting duck for a terror attack, leading terrorism expert Professor Anthony Glees said here Thursday night.
Glees, Director of the Center for Security and Intelligence Studies (BUCSIS) at Britain's University of Buckingham, told Xinhua one of the big questions that needed to be answered was whether security in the tourist hot spot in Spain had been too relaxed.
He said: "Las Ramblas particularly was a sitting duck for this kind of attack in which a truck is used to kill or main people."
Thirteen people were confirmed dead and more than 100 others injured, with some of them in very serious condition in Barcelona van attack on Thursday afternoon.
Around 32 million people are expected to visit Barcelona this year and many of them will head for Las Ramblas as one of the city's iconic attractions for tourists.
Las Ramblas is popular with tourists because of its market stalls, bars and restaurants.
"It is the place everyone goes to, so everything has to be set in context. We have seen two attacks in London where vehicles have been used as weapons, and similar attacks in Berlin, Nice and Stockholm. This has become an established terror tactic.
"Whether this latest attack was carried out by home grown Islam idealists, or whether they came from Arab countries or Northern Africa remains to be seen.
"Just this week we saw images of people arriving from North Africa on the beaches of Spain and scurrying off into the Spanish hinterland. Spain has clearly been the victim of highly dangerous people.
"Last year the so called ISIL group issued a threat that they intended to re-colonize this area of Spain, to retake it as a Muslim country. They ruled the area until the 15th century and they have vowed to take back control."
Glees said security policies needed to be looked at, and whether they were a switch or a dial.
"When the threats are real you know you have to turn up the volume on the dial. Did the authorities in Spain turn up the dial? I am receiving messages from people in the area telling me that in their opinion security at the moment in Spain has been very lax. What has happened is a common threat across Europe, and what is needed now is to make foresight out of hindsight."
In recent months, national newspapers in Britain have highlighted stories about Spain, the most popular summer vacation hotspot for Britons, saying the famous Costas were prime targets for attack.
