Barcelona Police: Van Crash Is Terrorist Attack

IT'S A MUST-SEE SIGHT FOR THOSE VISITING BARS LOAN A THE
BEAUTIFUL DAY. ABOUT 5:15 IN THE AFTERNOON.
SPAIN TIME. THE AREA WAS PACKED WITH
TOURISTS WHEN EYEWITNESSES SAY THIS WHITE VAN JUMPED THE CURB
AND ACCELERATED INTO THE CROWD. THESE PICTURES, SOME OF THEM TOO
GRAPHIC TO SHOW ON TELEVISION SHOW PEOPLE LYING ON THE GROUND.
SOME OF THEM NOT MOVING. EMERGENCY SERVICES HELPING MANY
OF THE VICTIMS AND ALSO PEOPLE WHO ARE SIMPLY EYEWITNESSES AND
NOT HURT ALSO TRYING TO HEN THE WOUNDED.
AS YOU MENTIONED, POLICE AT THIS HOUR ARE LOOKING FOR AT LEAST
ONE SUSPECT. THEY HAVE CLOSED DOWN THAT AREA.
THEY HAVE STOPPED. THEY'VE CLOSED TRAIN STATIONS
AND METRO STATIONS AND ARE NOW SEARCHING FOR THIS ONE PERSON.
A LOT OF REPORTING IN LOCAL MEDIA ABOUT WHO THE SUSPECT
MIGHT BE, ABOUT POSSIBLE ITEMS THAT MAY HAVE BEEN FOUND IN THAT
VAN AND RECORDS OF WHO MAY HAVE RENTED IT.
NONE OF THIS CONFIRMED AS YET BY POLICE.
BUT THEY ARE TREATING THIS, HARRY, AS A TERRORIST ATTACK.
THEY CALL IS MASSIVE AND INTENTIONAL.
>> KELLY COBIELLA IN LONDON. WE WANT TO CONFIRM WHAT WE'RE
REPORTING IS WHAT WE KNOW WE CAN CONFIRM.
THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA WITH VARIOUS
REPORTS OF NUMBERS OF INJURED, NUMBERS DEAD.
OTHER EVENTS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE GOING ON IN BARCELONA RIGHT
NOW. WE'RE TELLING YOU THE THINGS
THAT WE KNOW FOR SURE. NBC WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT
KRISTEN WELKER IS IN BEDMINSTER NEW JERSEY WHERE PRESIDENT TRUMP
IS ON HIS WORKING VACATION. WHAT'S THE LATEST THERE?
>> Reporter: HARRY, WE KNOW THAT THE PRESIDENT'S CHIEF OF STAFF,
JOHN KELLY, HAS BEEN MADE AWARE OF THE SITUATION IN BARCELONA
AND IS BRIEFING THE PRESIDENT. WE ANTICIPATE HE WILL CONTINUE
TO BRIEF HIM THROUGHOUT THE DAY. PRESIDENT TRUMP, OF COURSE, HAS
MADE FIGHTING TERRORISM A KEY CAMPAIGN PROMISE.
ONE OF THE PILLARS OF THE
PRESIDENCY. SINCE HE TOOK OFFICE, THERE HAVE
BEEN A NUMBER OF TERROR ATTACKS FROM LONDON TO PARIS, STOCKHOLM
AND BEYOND. AND IN EACH INSTANCE, THE
PRESIDENT RESPONDS WITH VERY STRONG WORDS, A ROBUST RESPONSE,
ANOTHER VOW TO FIGHT TERRORISM AND TO CRACKDOWN ON ISIS.
AT THIS POINT IN TIME, NO WORD ON WHETHER WE WILL HEAR FROM
PRESIDENT TRUMP TODAY. WE CAN TELL YOU THAT HE HAS NO
PUBLIC EVENTS ON HIS SCHEDULE. HE IS GOING TO BE HAVING LUNCH
WITH THE GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA. HE HAS ANOTHER MEETING LATER ON
THIS AFTERNOON. WE WILL TRACK TO SEE IF THAT
CHANGES AT ALL. THE FIRST LADY, THOUGH, HAS
WEIGHED IN ON TWITTER. SHE HAS TWEETED THOUGHTS AND
PRAYERS TO #BARCELONA. ALL OF THIS COMES AFTER THIS
WEEKEND'S VIOLENT CLASHES IN CHARLOTTESVILLE, WHICH CLAIMED
THE LIFE OF A YOUNG WOMAN. WHAT A NUMBER OF OFFICIALS ARE
REFERRING TO A TERRORIST ATTACK ON U.S. SOIL.
PRESIDENT TRUMP GETTING CRITICIZED FOR HIS RESPONSE TO
THAT. HE WILL SHIFT HIS FOCUS TOMORROW
TO FOREIGN POLICY. HE HEADS TO CAMP DAVID WHERE
HE'LL MEET WITH THE VICE PRESIDENT.
HIS NATIONAL SECURITY COUNSEL AS WELL AS HIS DEFENSE SECRETARY.
UNDOUBTEDLY, HARRY, THEY WILL ADDRESS WHAT IS HAPPENING IN
BARCELONA TODAY. >> ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF
CURRENT EVENTS. KRISTEN WELKER IN BEDMINSTER,
NEW JERSEY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >>> MICHAEL LEITNER, FORMER
DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL COUNTERTERRORISM CENTER JOINS US
NOW ON THE PHONE. MICHAEL, JUST FROM WHAT YOU'VE
BEEN ABLE TO OBSERVE OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF HOURS, WHAT ARE
YOU THINKING? >> HARRY, REGRETTABLY THIS LOOKS
VERY MUCH LIKE OTHER ATTACKS THAT WE'VE SEEN.
AN ADOPTION OF THIS VERY SIMPLE YET PAINFULLY EFFECTIVE
TECHNIQUE BY TERRORIST GROUPS. OF COURSE, TO SOME EXTENT WITH
ISIS AND NICE, THE MOST SUCCESSFUL ATTACK.
BUT THIS METHODOLOGY HAS BEEN ADOPTED BY ALL STREAMS OF
POLITICAL TERRORISM. OF COURSE, THE TRAGEDY IN
CHARLOTTESVILLE AND AN ATTACK AGAINST THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY AT
A MOSQUE. THESE ARE VERY, VERY SIMPLE
TACTICS, BUT THEY CAN BE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE IN OPEN DEMOCRATIC
SOCIETIES AND EXTREMELY CHALLENGING FOR OFFICIALS IN ANY
CITY, WHETHER IT'S THE UNITED STATES, THE UK, FRANCE OR NOW IN
SPAIN TO DEFEND PERFECTLY AGAINST THESE SORTS OF ATTACKS.
>> JUST AS WE'RE CONTINUING OUR CONVERSATION, MICHAEL, I WANT TO
REPORT THAT NATIONAL POLICE IN SPAIN ARE CALLING URGENTLY FOR
BLOOD DONATIONS THERE. WE KNOW THERE ARE SEVERAL DOZEN
PEOPLE INJURED. WE DON'T KNOW THE EXTENT OF
THOSE INJURIES TO THIS POINT YET.
MICHAEL, JUST AS WE CONTINUE TO OBSERVE THIS, IT WAS JUST LAST
SUMMER ON BASTILLE DAY THAT THAT HORRIBLE ATTACK HAPPENED IN
NICE. AS I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT PICTURES
ON SOCIAL MEDIA, THEY'RE HORRIFICALLY REMINISCENT OF WHAT
WE SAW THAT DAY LAST SUMMER. >> IT REALLY IS, HARRY.
UNFORTUNATELY, TERRORISTS LEARN FROM SUCCESSES.
AND TERRORISTS LIKE THINGS WHICH ARE SIMPLE AND EFFECTIVE.
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THESE VEHICULAR ATTACKS ARE,
ESPECIALLY IN COUNTRIES LIKE SPAIN WHERE THINGS LIKE FIREARMS
OR EXPLOSIVES ARE MUCH EASIER TO OBTAIN.
THE SPANISH HAVE A LONG HISTORY WITH TERRORISM.
THEY HAVE AVOIDED TO SOME EXTENT THE REAL PAINS OF
ISLAMIC-INSPIRED TERRORISM THAT THE FRENCH AND THE UK AND THE
GERMANS SUSTAIN. ALTHOUGH, OF COURSE, THEY
EXPERIENCED A SERIOUS ATTACK IN 2004 IN THE MADRID TRAIN SYSTEM.
THE BIGGEST ONE IS WITH BASK SEPARATISTS.
THAT HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
THIS IS NOT A TECHNIQUE OR APPROACH THAT SEPARATISTS WOULD
HAVE TAKEN. I THINK, ALTHOUGH WE DON'T KNOW
ENOUGH, THERE ARE ENOUGH HALLMARKS HERE IN WHAT THE
SPANISH OFFICIALS ARE SAYING. IT LOOKS MUCH LIKE THE EUROPEAN
ATTACKS WE'VE SEEN OVER THE PAST YEAR OR TWO.
>> YEAH. IF MEMORY SERVES, SEPARATISTS,
THE VIOLENT PARTS OF THAT MOVEMENT, THERE WERE BOMBINGS.
DIFFICULT TO SORT OF LOOK AT THIS AND WE'VE NOT HEARD THAT
ANYONE HAS TAKEN CREDIT THUS FAR.
HAVE YOU HEARD ANY RUMBLINGS, ANYTHING REPORTABLE THAT YOU
COULD ENLIGHTEN US WITH IN THAT REGARD?
>> I'M NOT. I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD READ
INTO THE FACT THAT NO ONE HAS TAKEN CREDIT.
IN THE DAYS OF THE IRA AND TO SOME EXTENT AL QAEDA, TAKING
CREDIT FOR THESE ATTACKS HAPPENED QUITE QUICKLY, BUT
ESPECIALLY IN THE ERA OF ISIS. THE ENTIRE IDEA OF WHO IS IN THE
MOVEMENT AND WHO IS NOT IS SO DIFFERENT THAT TAKING CREDIT FOR
THESE THINGS IS NOT SOMETHING THE ORGANIZATION NECESSARILY
KNOWS. IN MANY CASES OF ISIS ATTACKS,
THE FIRST TIME THAT ISIS COMMAND CENTRAL WE MIGHT CALL IT, KNOWS
ABOUT IT, IS WHEN THE ATTACK ITSELF OCCURS.
SO I DON'T EXPECT THAT WE'LL HEAR ANYTHING FROM ISIS IF THIS
TURNS OUT TO BE SUNNI INSPIRED TERRORISTS ANY TIME SOON.
I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD READ INTO THE LACK OF RESPONSIBILITY
EITHER. >> LET'S HOPE PLENTY OF HISTORY
OF LONE WOLVES ACTING OUT THERE FOR DIFFERENT CAUSES.
MICHAEL LEITNER, NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST FOR NBC NEWS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
WE WANT TO GO BACK OUT TO NEW JERSEY RIGHT NOW AND CHECK IN
WITH KRISTEN WELKER WHO HAS SOME LATE-BREAKING NEWS OUT OF THE
STATE DEPARTMENT. KRISTEN?
>> Reporter: HARRY, THAT'S RIGHT.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE, REX TILLERSON JUST HAD A NEWS
CONFERENCE WITH THE PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN.
LET ME CHARACTERIZE SOME OF HIS COMMENTS THAT HE MADE ABOUT
BARCELONA. HE SAYS THAT THE UNITED STATES
OFFERS CONDOLENCES ON THE LOSS OF LIFE AND INJURY.
UNITED STATES IS CONTINUING TO MONITOR AND ASSIST LAW
ENFORCEMENT. U.S. CONSULATES AND EMBASSIES
ARE WORKING WITH THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN SPAIN AND THIS
FINAL POINT, HARRY, IS AN IMPORTANT ONE.
HE'S URGING ALL AMERICANS WHO ARE IN THE AREA TO LET THEIR
LOVED ONES KNOW THAT THEY ARE SAFE.
TO CONTACT THEIR LOVED ONES IF THEY CAN.
IT UNDER SCORES THE FACT THAT THIS IS A WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT
RESPONSE. EVERYONE WITHIN THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION FOCUSED ON WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN
BARCELONA AS PRESIDENT TRUMP CONTINUES WITH HIS WORKING
VACATION HERE IN NEW JERSEY AND, AGAIN, HE'S HERE WITH HIS CHIEF
OF STAFF AND A NUMBER OF HIS OTHER TOP ADVISERS.
THEY ARE CONTINUING TO MAKE SURE HE IS BRIEFED ON THE ONGOING
DEVELOPMENTS OUT OF BARCELONA, HARRY.
>> KRISTEN WELKER IN BEDMINSTER THIS AFTERNOON.
THANK YOU. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE FULL
COVERAGE THROUGHOUT THE DAY ON MSNBC AND ON NBCNEWS.COM AND A
COMPLETE WRAP-UP TONIGHT ON "NBC NIGHTLY NEWS" WITH LESTER HOLT.
FOR NOW, I'M HAR

Barcelona Police: Van Crash Is Terrorist Attack | NBC News

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