Chilling Video Released In Madrid Court Of Accused Preparing Barcelona Terror Attacks
This is the chilling video that has been released of the group of terrorists responsible for killing 16 people in Barcelona in 2017 preparing explosives and suicide vests as they planned their terror atttacks.
The shocking video was released during the first day of a trial at a Spanish National Court yesterday (Tuesday) of the three alleged associates of the men featured in the video.
The three men are alleged to be linked to the terrorist attacks that occurred in the Spanish city of Barcelona and in the town of Cambrils in the autonomous community of Catalonia on 17 August 2017.
The three men have been identified as Mohamed Houli Chemlal, Driss Oukabir and Said Ben Iazza.
The Barcelona attacks took place in the famous central street of ‘La Rambla’ which is one of the city’s main attractions and stretches 1.2 km (0.75 miles).
A van driven by Younes Abouyaaqoub, 22, ploughed through the busy street running over and killing 13 people and a further victim who died from her injuries 10 days later. A reported 130 people were also injured during the heinous act.
Abouyaaqoub stabbed another person to death, stole their vehicle and fled but was found and killed by police days later.
At around one in the morning of the following day, another five terrorists drove an Audi A3 into a crowd in the town of Cambrils before crashing it and stabbing several people, injuring six and killing a 63-year-old woman.
All of the terrorists were gunned down by police and were thought to have been part of the same terrorist cell from the La Rambla attack, which was based in the city of Ripoll, in the Girona province in Catalonia.
In all, the attacks claimed the lives of 16 victims and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for them.
However, the killing spree was reportedly improvised and rushed through after an explosion occurred at a residence in the town of Alcanar, Catalonia killing two people including a 40-year-old imam who is thought to be the mastermind behind the group.
Realising the group risked exposure, they came up with the plan that was later implemented in a rush.
One of the videos shows the moment three people prepare explosives in their Alcanar residence and voice their intentions to use them to kill people.
Some of their statements include ‘Muslims have dignity and strength with the power of God’, ‘Allah has promised us paradise and promised you hell’ and ‘You are going to regret having been born, especially you Mossos d’Esquadra’ referring to the local police in the region.
Others are ‘With the wrath of God, we are going to protect our religion’ and ‘He has chosen us among millions of men to make you cry blood’.
The video ends showing one of the men speaking into the camera saying: “Each gram of this iron will go into your heads, or in the heads of your children or in the heads of your women, with the permission of God.”
Another video shows the moment one of the terrorists poses wearing a suicide vest and is asked ‘What does that do?’ to which he answers ‘It goes boom’ and laughs before the person filming shows a closer look and says ‘It looks good on you’ as the video ends.
According to the Spanish press, the explosives were initially planned to be used in the Barcelona Football Club stadium Nou Camp, the Sagrada Familia and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
All of the men in the video are now dead and have been identified as Youssef Aalla (died in the explosion), Mohamed Hichamy (died in the Cambrils attacks) and Younes Abouyaqoub (drove the van in La Rambla and later killed by police).
The prosecution is asking for a 41-year sentence for Mohamed Houli Chemlal who filmed the videos, according to the Spanish press.
However, he claims to be not have been part of the terrorist group and was forced to film the videos by the people seen in them.
Driss Oukabir and Said Ben Iazza have also been linked to the attacks as they provided the group with vehicles.
Oukabir rented the van used in La Rambla attack, however, he claims he did not know they intended to use it in an attack and says he only rented it because they were too young and was under the impression they were going to use it for a move.
The prosecution is asking for 36-years for Oukabir.
Ben Iazza, who lent the group his own vehicle which was used to transport explosives, made a similar claim saying he thought they were going to use it to move cleaning products. It is unclear what sentence the prosecution is asking for him.
The trial is ongoing.