The man suspected of hiring the van used to mow down pedestrians in Barcelona had ranted online about the Israeli occupation of Palestine, it has been reported.

Driss Oukabir is alleged to have rented the Fiat van used in the attack on Las Ramblas in the Spanish capital from an outlet in the town of Santa Perpetua de la Mogada.

It has now emerged that Oukabir shared a post last month on social media showing graphic photos and video of a child appearing to be manhandled by an Israeli soldier.

The translated caption is said to have read: “Alas! what has happened to our Arabism?

“Even the children haven’t been rescued from the Israeli occupation.

“Post this video to be watched by the whole people in the world.”

The man is thought to have rented one of the vans used in the Las Ramblas attack (Image: Facebook)

The Jerusalem-based Jewish Agency spokesman, Avia Mayer, also posted a screen grab on Twitter, saying the suspect had posted an antisemitic video on Facebook

“alleging a global Jewish conspiracy to take over the world”.

Anti-Semitic Video

“The video is titled “What is Zionism? A Brief Introduction” and links to what seems to be a neo-Nazi YouTube page,” Mr Mayer wrote on Twitter.

The screen grab posted by the Jerusalem-based Jewish Agency spokesman, Avia Mayer (Image: Avi Mayer/Twitter)

However, Oukabir has reportedly contacted police tonight claiming his documents had been stolen recently, accusing his younger brother of taking them.

Horrific video shows the aftermath of the terror attack, with innocent victims strewn across the street.

Motionless bodies are seen lying on the floor of the city’s historic Placa de Catalunya and debris from nearby stalls is scattered across the floor.

In the distressing footage filmed by a witness, several people can be seen lying motionless with blood splattered across the ground.

There is also a young woman in a state of distress being comforted by two others.

Thirteen people are feared dead and dozens more injured are believed to have been injured in the attack.

 

There was a stampede as terrified witnesses fled through the streets after the vehicle slammed into people on tree-lined Las Ramblas, which is highly popular with tourists.

Local media reported that the driver of the white van fled on foot and is being hunted by police.

The metro and train stations were closed while rescuers responded to the emergency, and they urged people to stay away from the center of the city.

Locals and tourists were told to avoid central Barcelona in the aftermath of the attack which occurred at about 5pm local time.

Witnesses described terrifying scenes as the van went through a red light and mowed down people as they crossed the street and the mounted a pavement to run down more victims.

Aamer Anwar was walking down Las Ramblas at the time, which he said was “jam-packed” with tourists.

He told Sky News: “All of a sudden, I just sort of heard a crashing noise and the whole street just started to run, screaming. I saw a woman right next to me screaming for her kids.

“Police were very, very quickly there, police officers with guns, batons, everywhere. Then the whole street started getting pushed back.”

Mr. Anwar described the scene as “chaos”, with everyone in “panic mode”.

Tom Gueller, who lives on an adjoining road, was forced to flee the scene when he saw the van hurtling through the crowds.

He told BBC’s PM: “I heard screams and a bit of a crash and then I just saw the crowd parting and this van going full pelt down the middle of the Ramblas and I immediately knew that it was a terrorist attack or something like that.

“I ran away, I mean I live near, I had to run back about 50 metres or so and go up to my flat and obviously see what’s happening on the road from my balcony.”

Asked about the van, he said: “It wasn’t slowing down at all. It was just going straight through the middle of the crowds in the middle of the Ramblas.”

Mr. Gueller said many of the shops had pulled their shutters down and armed police were positioned on street corners, with cordons in place on the road.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he was in contact with authorities, and the priority was to attend to the injured.

Simon Manley, the British ambassador to Spain, said the Foreign Office was “in contact with the authorities and seeking further information following the incident”.

The incident took place at the height of the tourist season in Barcelona, which is one of Europe’s top travel destinations with at least 11 million visitors a year, including many Brits.