Spanish policemen patrol in the Las Ramblas area of Barcelona, Spain, Aug. 19, 2017. The Spanish government decided to maintain its anti-terrorism alert level at 4 but pledged to reinforce security measures at the same time, the Interior Ministry said Saturday in a statement. A total of 14 fatalities occurred in two terrorist attacks in the Spanish cities of Barcelona and Cambrils that also hurt about 126 people of 34 different nationalities. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan)
BARCELONA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Spanish police on Monday confirmed that the 12-member terrorist cell behind the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils which left 15 people dead has been dismantled with four terrorists arrested and eight killed.
Catalonia police made the announcement at a press conference Monday evening after they shot and killed Younes Abouyaaqoub, the suspected driver of Thursday's deadly Barcelona van.
Abouyaaqoub was shot dead at around 5 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) Monday in the town of Subirats, around 50 km to the southwest of Barcelona.
"We confirm that the man shot down in #Subirats is Younes Abouyaaqoub, author of the terrorist attack in Barcelona," Catalan police tweeted.
"So far there are 4 detainees and 8 suspected dead terrorists regarding the attacks of #Barcelona and #Cambrils," the police tweeted.
"The 12 initial targets regarding the attacks are dead or detained but that does not mean that the investigation is over. We keep working," they said.
The police operation against Younes Abouyaaqoub began at 4 p.m. local time (1500 GMT) Monday after Catalan police had "received information of a suspicious person in Subirats."
A woman living in Subirats called the police to inform that she had seen a man with features similar to that of a wanted terrorist, Spanish media reported.
Earlier in the day, Catalan Interior Minister Joaquin Forn confirmed on Catalan local radio that Abouyaaqoub was "the driver of the van" which ploughed into crowds of people on the pedestrian boulevard of Las Ramblas in Barcelona, killing 13 and injuring over 120 others.
It had been thought the 22-year-old could have left Spain, but finally he was discovered and shot not far from where he committed his crime.
Valentin Anadon, spokesman for the Federation of Catalan Public Security Professionals, thanked the civil society for its cooperation and assistance.
Two members of the terrorist group died on Wednesday night in an explosion in the house in Alcanar, where they were preparing a major attack using two vans and over 50 butane gas cylinders.
In the early hours of Friday morning, five terrorists were shot by police as they carried out the attack in Cambrils. The other four were arrested and are in police custody.
The four terror suspects detained in relation with twin attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils will appear in the Spanish High Court on Tuesday, the Spanish Interior Ministry said Monday.
Driss Oukabir, Mohamed Aallaa, Salar El Karib and Mohamed Houli Chemlal, will appear before judge Fernando Andreu, who is leading the investigation.
The four were taken to the town of Tres Cantos, just outside of Madrid Monday night and will be sent to prison on Tuesday awaiting trial for their role in the terror attacks.
