Australians among the injured in deadly Barcelona attack1:28

Australian tourists are among the injured after a deadly attack in the Spanish city of Barcelona

Spain has been rocked by two terrorist attacks in less than 24 hours that left at least 13 dead and more than 100 injured.

Ellen Whinnett in Spain, Ashleigh Gleeson, staff writersNews Corp Australia Network

A NSW father is travelling to Spain to desperately try to find his seven-year-old son who is missing in Barcelona, while his mother remains in hospital following the horror terror attack.

Julian Cadman, 7, is missing while his mother Jom is in a serious but stable condition in hospital after a white van ploughed into crowds on Las Ramblas.

The first victim named as being killed in the attack was Italian father-of-two Bruno Gulotta.

Julian’s aunt Hayley has posted a desperate appeal online to help find her nephew.

“My nephew Julian Cadman is missing. Please like and share. We have found Jom and she is serious but stable in hospital,” she said.

“Julian is 7 years old and was out with Jom and they were separated. Please share if you have family or friends in Barcelona.”

She said that Jom’s husband Andrew was flying to Barcelona tonight from Sydney to be with his wife and to help find Julian.

The family has also put a call-out on Facebook in the hope of tracking the boy down.

His grandfather, Tony Cadman, has posted this message on his Facebook page:

“My nephew Julian Cadman is missing. Please like and share. We have found Jom and she is serious but stable in hospital,” Claire O’Sullivan wrote on Facebook.

Andrew’s boss Scott Bowman said that Jom and Julian were over in Barcelona for a friend’s wedding, only arriving in Spain in the last few days.

He said the father-of-one found out about the Barcelona attack at 6am over the radio at work.

“He turned up for work this morning, put the radio on and heard about the attack,” Mr Bowman said.

“He said I better ring my wife and see if she’s all right. He couldn’t get on to her.”

Mr Bowman said he then sent Andrew home to try and figure out what was going on.

Jom and Julian, who goes to St Bernadettes Primary in Lalor Park in Sydney, had been over in Spain for a friend’s wedding while Andrew was staying back in Sydney to work.

“He started to get some sort of news… they had found his wife in hospital at 8.30am this morning, but they don’t know where Julian is… we still don’t know,” he said.

“We don’t know if he is dead or alive at the moment, I’m having trouble grasping that 10 hours can pass and a seven year old is in a country by himself.

Julian Cadman, 7, who is missing in Barcelona after the attack. Picture: Facebook

Julian Cadman, 7, who is missing in Barcelona after the attack. Picture: FacebookSource:Facebook

“I hate to think this way but if I was in Spain with a seven-year-old I would be holding his hand.”

Mr Bowman said Jom, who is originally from the Philippines but had been living in Lalor Park with her husband, was in an induced coma.

“All that we’ve been told is that she is in a serious condition, she has got multiple fractures everywhere – arms, legs, severe facial injuries. She has suspected spinal injuries and possible internal injuries,” he said.

Mr Bowman said Andrew was a “bloody mess” and catching a flight out to Spain later tonight.

“He is flying over there tonight, I can’t comprehend what he is going through.”

He said they were a close-knit family and Andrew worked hard as a cabinet maker.

“It is just the three of them, they are close.”

Julian Cadman, 7, who is missing in Barcelona. Picture: Facebook

Julian Cadman, 7, who is missing in Barcelona. Picture: FacebookSource:Facebook

News Corp Australia has contacted DFAT for a response on the status of the boy and his mother.

The news came as Sydney-based Commonwealth bank worker Suria Intan was also named as a victim in the attacks. She is in a serious but stable condition in the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona.

She was meant to come home to Australia this weekend after a three-week holiday with three girlfriends. Together, they visited London’s Sky Garden, the Eiffel Tower, the Bernese Alps and Lake Thun in Switzerland, Positano and Ravello on the Amalfi Coast, according to photos posted on Facebook.

They also went to Barcelona’s famous Sagrada Familia basilica.

Ms Intan, from Campsie, grew up in Indonesia and studied in Sydney.

Her LinkedIn profile said she has worked for the Commonwealth Bank in Lidcombe for 11 years. She is also involved in the Hillsong Church.

A spokesman for the Church said they had been in touch with Hillsong in Barcelona to support her.

Injured Sydney woman Suria Intan who was in the terror attacks in Barcelona Spain. Picture: Facebook

Injured Sydney woman Suria Intan who was in the terror attacks in Barcelona Spain. Picture: FacebookSource:Supplied

VICTIMS NAMED

According to reports Bruno Gulotta was on holiday with his wife and two children when he was caught up in the attack.

Bruno Gulotta was killed in the Barcelona terror attack. Picture: Tom's Hardward

Bruno Gulotta was killed in the Barcelona terror attack. Picture: Tom's HardwardSource:Supplied

Gulotta was hit by the van on Las Ramblas.

Colleagues at his work at Tom’s Hardware were mourning his loss.

A co-worker wrote on the company’s website:

He had posted on Facebook the stages of his journey and everything seemed to proceed as one would expect from a vacation trip.

“A photo from Cannes, one of the Ramblas in Barcelona. And then what no one expects: the death of a young man, father and life partner of the mother of his children.”

Belgian officials have identified a woman from the town of Tongeren killed in the van attack in Barcelona as Elke Vanbockrijck, AP reports.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said a total of eight Australians were caught up in the incident when a van ploughed into crowds on the famed Las Ramblas tourist street, which left at least 13 dead and more than 100 injured.

It was one of two attacks to rock Spain, with a second incident involving a van ending with five terrorists being shot dead by police.

Of the eight Australians impacted by events in Barcelona, Ms Bishop said four were injured, three required consular support and one is unaccounted for.

“Of the four injured, that includes one woman, who is from New South Wales in a stable condition, but was seriously injured,” she told media. “A second woman, also from New South Wales, is in a serious condition in hospital.”

Citizens from 24 countries are among the 13 killed and 100 wounded in the attack in Las Ramblas, Catalan officials said.

The youngest victim of the Barcelona attack is believed to be a three-year-old girl. A six-year-old girl is also seriously ill in hospital.

A five-year-old Irish boy suffered a broken leg when his family was caught up in the terror attack in Barcelona. The boy’s father also has leg injuries.

Ireland’s foreign affairs minister, Simon Coveney, said: “They are not life-threatening, I’m relieved to say.”

Four Cubans were injured in Barcelona and a fifth was hurt in the Cambrils attack, according to the news site Cuba Debate.

Three of the dead are believed to be German. A Belgian had also died.

France says 26 of its citizens are injured, at least 11 of them seriously.

Three people from the Netherlands are among the wounded, along with a woman and her two children from Greece.

China’s foreign ministry said two people from Taiwan were severely injured in the Barcelona attack.

People flee the scene in Barcelona, Spain, after a white van jumped the sidewalk in the historic Las Ramblas district, crashing into a summer crowd. Picture: AP

People flee the scene in Barcelona, Spain, after a white van jumped the sidewalk in the historic Las Ramblas district, crashing into a summer crowd. Picture: APSource:AP

A Hong Kong citizen suffered minor injuries, as did one American.

The news comes as a third person was arrested, in connection with the Barcelona van attack.

Catalonia Interior Minister Joaquim Forn told Catalunya Radio on Friday that the suspect was taken into custody in the northern Catalan town of Ripoll.

Spanish police have a named a teenage suspect in the Barcelona attack.

Moussa Oukabir, 17, is suspected to be the driver of Las Ramblas van.

Earlier, Driss Oukabir, originally named as the suspect, was arrested in Ripoll, north of Barcelona. He is reported to have told police that his identity documents were stolen before they were used to rent the van.

Police said neither of the two people detained on Thursday was the driver of the white van that plowed down pedestrians. The driver escaped the scene on foot.

Second terror incident occurs in Spain0:42

A second terror incident involving a van has occurred in the town of Cabrils, south of Barcelona.

In the Cambrils incident, suspects wearing fake suicide belts were shot dead by police in Cambrils after ramming into a crowd.

Police were pursuing a suspicious car that then drove into a pedestrian area on an esplanade, running down six people before the vehicle overturned. A police shootout then followed, with five attackers killed.

Reports suggest that the group of terrorists in Cambrils tried to re-create the earlier attack in Barcelona.

Local media is reporting Spanish police are following up from both incidents with a series of raids in the region surrounding the district centre of Terragona.

WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO

Barcelona terror attack leaves bodies lying all over Las Ramblas0:22

Bodies are seen sprawled out all over La Ramblas following a deadly terrorist attack in Barcelona. Courtesy: Twitter/@necatulu21

Medics and police tend to injured people near the scene of a terrorist attack in the Las Ramblas area in Barcelona, Spain. Picture: Getty

Medics and police tend to injured people near the scene of a terrorist attack in the Las Ramblas area in Barcelona, Spain. Picture: GettySource:Getty Images

Terrified tourists were seen fleeing as the van smashed its way through street furniture and pedestrians, in an attack chillingly similar to those in London this year, and in Nice in southern France a year ago.

Two men — a Spanish national and a Moroccan — have been arrested in relation to the attack but police said the driver of the van was still on the run.

Spanish police have a named Moussa Oukabir, 17, as the driver of the Las Ramblas van.

Moussa Oukabir, who lives in Barcelona, has been named as a suspect in the Barcelona attack. Picture: Supplied

Moussa Oukabir, who lives in Barcelona, has been named as a suspect in the Barcelona attack. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied

Earlier, Driss Oukabir, originally named as the suspect, was arrested in Ripoll, north of Barcelona. He is reported to have told police that his identity documents were stolen before they were used to rent the van.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the terror attack, according to the Amaq news agency.

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Driss Oukabir was an initial suspect in the rental of the van used in the Barcelona terror attack. Picture: Facebook

Driss Oukabir was an initial suspect in the rental of the van used in the Barcelona terror attack. Picture: FacebookSource:Supplied

Police say they have arrested Driss Oukabir who is said to have rented the van. Picture: Supplied

Police say they have arrested Driss Oukabir who is said to have rented the van. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied

TERROR ARRESTS

Following the attack, Spanish police distributed an image of Driss Oukabir, whose ID had been found in a second rental van believed to be the getaway vehicle.

The 28-year-old Catalan resident of Moroccan origin later handed himself in to police in Ripoll, about 100km from Barcelona.

Oukabir claimed that his younger brother, Moussa Oukabir, 18, had stolen his documents.

The second person arrested was a Spanish national born in the Spanish territory of Melilla in northern Morocco.

“It was clearly a terror attack, intended to kill as many people as possible,” Josep Lluis Trapero, a senior police official, told a news conference this morning.

Police officers attend injured people moments after a van crashes into pedestrians in Las Ramblas, downtown Barcelona. Picture: EFE News Agency

Police officers attend injured people moments after a van crashes into pedestrians in Las Ramblas, downtown Barcelona. Picture: EFE News AgencySource:Alamy

RELATED: Melbourne Bourke St hero at centre of Barcelona attack

The arrests took place in the northern Catalan town of Ripoll, and in Alcanar, some 200 kilometres south of Barcelona, the site of a gas explosion at a house earlier in the week which was initially thought to be drug related.

Police now suspect the explosion is linked to the van attack.

Trapero said the explosion left at least one person dead, and police suspected those in the house were “preparing an explosive device.”

“It seems there was an accumulation of gas that generated the explosion,” he said, without giving further details.

The town of Cambrils, the site of an ongoing police operation, on the coastal road between Barcelona and Alcanar.

Twitter images of what is believed to be the white van used in the terror attack at Las Ramblas in Barcelona.

Twitter images of what is believed to be the white van used in the terror attack at Las Ramblas in Barcelona.Source:Twitter

The area around Barcelona’s Las Ramblas was sealed off for blocks in each direction, and tourists and locals were desperately trying to find loved ones, as the mobile phone network in the area struggled to cope.

Islamic State’s Amaq news agency published a statement saying: “The perpetrators of the Barcelona attack are soldiers of the Islamic State and carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting coalition states” — a reference to a US-led coalition against the Sunni militant group.

The claim could not immediately be verified.

Twitter images of what is believed to be the white van used in the terror attack at Las Ramblas in Barcelona.

Twitter images of what is believed to be the white van used in the terror attack at Las Ramblas in Barcelona.Source:Twitter

EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS

All two young Sydney women on holiday in Barcelona could do was watch on in horror as they saw people stampeding trying to find safety from their hostel’s balcony.

Brydie Watson and Rachel Flemming were trying to piece together what was happening as they waited for news reports to filter through.

Rachel Flemming said they were so lucky to be inside at the time of the attack.

“We witnessed everyone screaming and running from our balcony and then watched from our balcony for the next 6 hours as the police blocked off the Main Street, Los Ramblas, and our street (that ran off the Main Street) and heavily guarded it as we waited to hear what was happening.

Brydie Watson, a young Sydney woman on holiday in Barcelona watched on in horror as she saw people stampeding trying to find safety. Picture: Facebook

Brydie Watson, a young Sydney woman on holiday in Barcelona watched on in horror as she saw people stampeding trying to find safety. Picture: FacebookSource:Supplied

Her friend Bridie Watson said it was the most horrible screams she had heard.

“I was in my room with headphones on watching a movie, and I started hearing these loud screams,” Ms Watson said.

“I could hear the most horrible screams, that was the scariest part, because I was alone.

“My friend came up on the balcony, and we just sat there, waiting for news reports to come through.

“It was really scary that initial bit when we didn’t know what was going on, the first report didn’t come up for an hour.

“We didn’t know what had happened, we just saw over 20 ambulances and police screaming.”

Western Sydney woman Doreen Castaneda, 30, decided to stop walking nearby just minutes before the attack happened.

People leave a cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd. Picture: AFP

People leave a cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

She and fellow Sydney residents Simone Esposito and Yasmin Ali were about to split up and they took a break to discuss their plans.

It was a decision that may well have saved Ms Castaneda’s life.

“I was going to walk to Las Ramblas by myself to catch a cab to go visit the stadium and my friends were going to go to the opposite direction,” she said.

“We were walking towards there but we stopped for a minute and a flood of people just came running to us screaming and crying. “If we didn’t stop… I would have been on the street.

“It was a very scary experience being so close to the incident. Something I will never forget or erase from my memory.”

She and her two friends knew from the terror on people’s faces whatever happened was bad. They turned around and ran.

Doreen Castaneda, a Western Sydney woman who witnessed people running, screaming and crying in Barcelona following the terror attack. Picture: Facebook

Doreen Castaneda, a Western Sydney woman who witnessed people running, screaming and crying in Barcelona following the terror attack. Picture: FacebookSource:Supplied

“When people were screaming and crying running towards us our first instinct was to run and hide,” Ms Castaneda said.

“We had no idea what had exactly happened. None of us knew.

“We first ran into the back of a restaurant and ran up to their attic. “The kitchen workers had no idea what we were doing and what was going on. We didn’t either really. They didn’t want us to stay there.”

Australian tourist Bianca Shaw from Canberra only learned of the attack by turning on the TV in her hotel room.

“I was with my partner, we had just left Las Ramblas to head back to our hotel for a nap before we headed back out for dinner and drinks,” she told 3AW.

“We were actually woken up by some messages from friends that we were travelling with previously before we got here.

“They were asking are you okay and what’s going on? Because we’re actually staying a couple of metres away from the Las Ramblas section. We turned on the TV and it was absolutely filled with all the news about the terror attack and we just found out from there.”

Ms Shaw ventured outside with her partner, but stayed close to the hotel.

“We went outside probably about an hour after we heard about everything. We had been watching the news for a while and they had been jumping from one person dead and then all of a sudden it was 13 people dead.

“We didn’t really know what was going on and we went outside and there were people everywhere. There were police cars actually quite close to where we were so we thought it might be best to actually stay in our hotel. The staff were recommending that nobody leave the hotel.”

Ms Shaw said the mood was sombre.

Injured are helped by responders. According to witnesses the white van swerved from side to side as it drove into tourists and residents. Picture: AP

Injured are helped by responders. According to witnesses the white van swerved from side to side as it drove into tourists and residents. Picture: APSource:AP

Aussie Adam James and his wife were caught up in the Barcelona incident while walking back to their apartment.

“My wife and I were coming back from the Picasso museum district as we were coming back to our street, we were used to a lot of people walking past us, at the end of the street,” Mr James said.

“We asked what had happened and they explained that a number of foreign nationals and locals had been hit by a car, and literally within seconds of saying that a number of shots were fired and we turned and ran.

“As we turned and ran unfortunately my wife was caught up and was pushed over and suffered some minor injuries. We ran into a local cafe we were help up there for about four-and-a-half hours.

“She’s a bit bunged up mate, we were quite fortunate that the cafe have some first aid and she was attended to appropriately.”

Gil Van Der Venne from Melbourne, who was staying at Hotel Baguef, said it was an extremely distressing.

“It’s a really scary situation when you’re walking back from your day of sightseeing and you’re deciding whether to have a drink out in Las Ramblas or walk back to your hotel room and we chose the latter,” he told 3AW.

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“Fifteen minutes later, you’re looking over the balcony from the top of the roof top bar while you’re having a drink and there it is, all happening in front of you.

“You hear the screaming, the mayhem, you look over the top and there are at least five bodies that I saw and unfortunately, I believe three of them, well they’re still there now in body bags so you can imagine obviously they’ve passed.

“It’s very, very scary. The place is still in lockdown.”

People gather to leave the cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd on the Rambla in Barcelona. Picture: AFP

People gather to leave the cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd on the Rambla in Barcelona. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

Australian Susan McLean, who is in Barcelona, spoke with Channel Seven’s Sunrise by phone this morning.

“It was too close for comfort,” she said.

“I was in a shop doing some shopping and my husband, being a good husband, was standing out the front. I went out to get him because I want to show him something as I went out, there was a tidal wave of people running from Las Ramblas around the corner down our street.

“They were panicked, they were running for their lives. They were screaming, they were crying hysterically. Immediately we knew something terrible had happened.”

An injured person is treated in Barcelona, Spain. Picture: AP

An injured person is treated in Barcelona, Spain. Picture: APSource:AP

Mrs McLean said they have been told to stay put.

“It is night time now, it is 11:20 at night. We were ordered to stay inside and we were told after this that they are not wanting people to go into the street.

“The only sounds we’ve been hearing are sirens and a police helicopter, both of which have stopped now. They are still saying we should stay inside even though it believed the two suspects have been arrested.

“What they wouldn’t want is everyone to leave their hotel and see what’s going on.”

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajo, centre, speaks during a meeting following the attack in Barcelona. Picture: AFP

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajo, centre, speaks during a meeting following the attack in Barcelona. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

‘THE SPANIARDS WILL DEFEAT TERRORISM’

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said that they would use “maximum co-ordination to arrest the attackers, reinforce security and attend to all those affected.”

On Twitter he added: “We are united to defeat terrorism. The Government of Catalonia, Barcelona and all the security forces are backed by the Government.”

“The priority is to attend to those affected, detain the killers and restore normalcy. The Spaniards will defeat terrorism.”

In a statement released on Twitter the Spanish royal family said, “They are murderers, nothing more than criminals who are not going to terrorise us. All of Spain is Barcelona. Las Ramblas will go back to being everyone’s.”

People speak on their phones as they stand on a street in Barcelona, Spain. Picture: AP

People speak on their phones as they stand on a street in Barcelona, Spain. Picture: APSource:AP

WORLD LEADERS RESPOND

World leaders were quick to condemn the terror attacks.

“Resolute with Spain in the fight to defeat terrorism we condemn the terrorist attack in Barcelona. Our love & prayers are with the victims,” Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said.

US President Donald Trump condemned the attack and offered assistance.

“The United States condemns the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, and will do whatever is necessary to help. Be tough & strong, we love you!”

Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May said “the UK stands with Spain against terror” following the van attack in Barcelona that killed at least 13 people and injured dozens of others.

Ms May condemned the “terrible” tragedy, which mirrored similar vehicle attacks in London this year.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said: “(It is) with profound sorrow and anguish that I have learnt of the terrorist attack that has struck at the heart of Barcelona this afternoon.”

He added: “This cowardly attack has deliberately targeted those enjoying life and sharing time with family and friends. We will never be cowed by such barbarism.”

French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted Thursday evening: “All my thoughts and solidarity from France for the victims of the tragic attack in Barcelona. We will remain united and determined.”

Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi, whose Mediterranean city lost 86 people in a truck attack during a Bastille Day fireworks display a little more than a year ago, announced that a special homage to Barcelona’s victims would be held.

While Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, a Spanish native whose city has faced multiple Islamic extremist attacks in recent years, expressed her “sadness and indignation.”

The Spanish royal household said on Twitter: “They are murderers, nothing more than criminals who are not going to terrorise us. All of Spain is Barcelona. Las Ramblas will go back to being everyone’s.”

Policemen check the identity of people standing with their hands up after a van ploughed into the crowd. Picture: AFP

Policemen check the identity of people standing with their hands up after a van ploughed into the crowd. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

TERROR IN EUROPE

While Spain has faced domestic terror attacks from the ETA separatist group over the year, it has not had a major Islamist attack since the horrific train bombings in Madrid in 2004 which killed 191 people and injured 1841 more.

A policemen stand as he blocks the street to a cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd. Picture: AFP

A policemen stand as he blocks the street to a cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

Spain has until now been spared the kind of extremist violence that has occurred in nearby France, Belgium and Germany.

Vehicles have been used in several terror attacks in Europe in recent years.

Policemen ask people to move back near a cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd. Picture: AFP

Policemen ask people to move back near a cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

The Nice attack in July last year and other similar attacks were claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.

In July 2015, a hooded attacker opened fire outside a hotel in downtown Barcelona near Las Ramblas, leaving two people injured, police said.

One person was struck by bullets while the other was hurt as they tried to flee the shooter, who fled the scene.

No suspected motive for the attack was given.

Australians worried about loved ones in Barcelona can call DFAT’s hotline on 1300 555 135