Van which crashed into pedestrians at Las Ramblas in Barcelona
Van which crashed into pedestrians at Las Ramblas in BarcelonaReuters

The driver of the van that plowed into crowds in Barcelona, killing 13 people, was one of five terrorists shot dead by police in a Catalan seaside resort hours later, Spanish newspapers reported on Friday, according to Reuters.

The reports came after Josep Lluis Trapero, police chief in Spain's northeastern region of Catalonia, had said earlier that it was possible, but not confirmed, that the driver was among those killed.

The driver abandoned the van and fled on Thursday after speeding at the busy Las Ramblas street.

Hours after the van rampage, police shot dead five people in the Catalan resort of Cambrils, located some 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Barcelona, after they drove their car at pedestrians and police officers.

The five terrorists had an axe and knives in their car and wore fake explosive belts, police said. A single police officer shot four of the men, Trapero said, according to Reuters.

A Spanish woman was killed in the Cambrils incident, while several other civilians and a police officer were injured.

The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the Barcelona attack through its propaganda arm, the Amaq news agency.

Trapero had earlier said that the suspects in the twin terror attacks were preparing an even bigger assault but were thwarted in their plans and forced to act in a "more rudimentary" way.

He added the investigation was focusing on a house in Alcanar, southwest of Barcelona, which was razed by an explosion shortly before midnight on Wednesday.

Police have arrested four people in connection with the attacks - three Moroccans and a citizen of Spain's North African enclave of Melilla, Trapero said. They were aged between 21 and 34, and none had a history of terrorism-related activities.

The attacks were the deadliest in Spain since March 2004, when Islamists placed bombs on commuter trains in Madrid, killing 191 people.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said earlier an American citizen was confirmed dead, and Spanish media said several children were killed.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)