Catalan Police Say Consider Attack On Police Station Terrorist Act

The Catalan police consider an attack on a police station near Barcelona a terrorist attack, the police's deputy chief Rafel Comes said on Monday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th August, 2018) The Catalan police consider an attack on a police station near Barcelona a terrorist attack, the police's deputy chief Rafel Comes said on Monday.

"We consider this a terrorist attack, but there is still a lot of work to do - to assess the facts, evaluate a ballistic examination, perform an autopsy," Comes told a press conference.

He said that the offender called the police station in the municipality of Cornella de Llobregat in Catalonia via the intercom and asked to be let in in order to get a consultation.

He then entered the building holding a large knife "with intent to kill." The attacker also shouted "Allah Akbar" and other expressions in a foreign language, according to Comes. Law enforcement officers were forced to stop the offender by opening fire.

Comes noted that the house of the attacker had not been searched yet. He also stressed that the attack was not linked to last years terrorist acts in Catalonia.

Earlier reports suggested that the attacker's name was Abdelouahab Taib, he was a native of Algeria, and that there were no casualties among the police.

According to Periodico news outlet, the attacker, who had a resident permit in Spain, had recently separated from his wife, whom he may have married in order to obtain the papers.

The Interior Ministry said a protocol to ensure additional protection measures for police would be put in place.

At the same time, several Spanish law enforcement and intelligence agencies decided at a Monday meeting to maintain the level of terrorist threat across the country at four, rather than raise it to five, the highest level. Level Four was introduced in 2015 and has remained unchanged despite last year's attacks in Catalonia.

Later on Monday, a panel on anti-terrorist coordination, which includes President of Generalitat Quim Torra, will meet, the region's government said.

Last August, the violent ramming attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils left 16 people killed and over 130 others injured. The Islamic State terror group (IS, banner in Russia) reportedly claimed the responsibility for the attacks.