Spain’s King Felipe led mourning on Sunday for the 14 victims of terror attacks in Barcelona and a nearby seaside resort as security officials faced accusations of intelligence failures.
Josep Lluis Trapero, the police chief of Catalonia, revealed that the plotters started preparations for an assault more than six months before the ramming assaults last week. The cell had managed to stockpile 120 gas canisters and an unknown quantity of improvised explosives at a repossessed seaside villa.
Their preparations had not been detected by intelligence operations despite a heightened security alert regarding Barcelona. Mr Trapero said the CIA had warned that a high-profile terrorism attempt was expected on Las Ramblas, the city’s main boulevard, during the peak summer tourist season.
Of the 12 men believed to be involved in the cell, seven were killed before or during the attacks, with two sets of remains yet to be identified, four have been arrested and one is on the run.
Younes Abouyaaqoub, the suspected driver of the van that ploughed through crowds on Las Ramblas, is thought to have escaped across the border into France after hijacking a car whose driver was later found stabbed to death.
King Felipe was joined by prime minister Mariano Rajoy and Catalonia's president Carles Puigdemont at Barcelona's Sagrada Familia church for the ceremony on Sunday to mourn those killed on Las Ramblas and at the resort of Cambrils.
"These have been days of tears, many tears," said auxiliary bishop Sebastia Taltavull.
Outside the church, snipers were posted on rooftops surrounding the landmark building, while heavily armed police stood guard as hundreds of people gathered under grey skies.
The family of a seven-year-old British-Australian boy who had been listed as missing confirmed on Sunday that he was among the 13 killed in the Barcelona attack. Julian Cadman had been walking on Las Ramblas with his mother, who survived but was seriously injured.
Teresa Rodriguez, who lives near the Sagrada Familia, said she wanted to join the outpouring of grief to show the city would defy its attackers.
"What happened in Las Ramblas is really hard for us, we go for walks there often, it could have happened to me, my children or anyone. And here we are. It's huge, huge," she said as she fought back tears.
Thousands queued outside the nearby city hall to sign the book of condolence opened by the municipality.
A ring of steel was mounted around Camp Nou, where Barcelona FC took to the pitch for the first game of the season. The 100,000 strong crowd was told in advance not to bring large bags to the ground.
Security experts expressed concerns about the emerging details of the plot. Security sources told El Pais newspaper that there had been no indicators that raised the concerns of police. "Intelligence failed," a judicial investigator said. "We were not able to detect them."
Meanwhile Spanish interior ministry sources pointed to "a serious failure to analyse information” by the provincial Catalan officials.
Despite the severe and known threat of radicalisation by Islamist extremists in the area, the authorities appear to have left gaps in the city’s defences.
“I’m shocked at what we are learning,” said Anthony Glees, a professor at the University of Birmingham. “At the end of the day there is a very obvious security lapse. Las Ramblas is an icon, Barcelona is an icon, over 30 million people visit every year and we know these people like to attack these iconic targets.”
Mr Glees said Abouyaaqoub’s potential escape to France demonstrated yet more security vulnerabilities.
“There may be a much larger support group there from a Moroccan French background. There is something in this that suggests one group is ramping up another group,’ he added.
Identifying the figures involved in radicalising the group, who have been embraced by ISIL, is a key task for investigators.
“For people to become terrorists, its highly likely there was a person radicalising them. There was an ideology and this tipped them into terrorism,” Mr Glees said.
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Read more:
Spain attacks: who are the terrorists?
Father of Barcelona suspects blames local imam
Missing 7-year-old boy confirmed dead
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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MATCH INFO
Liverpool 0
Stoke City 0
Man of the Match: Erik Pieters (Stoke)
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,050,000
On sale: now
SPECS
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Brief scores:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Directed: Smeep Kang
Produced: Soham Rockstar Entertainment; SKE Production
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Jimmy Sheirgill, Sunny Singh, Omkar Kapoor, Rajesh Sharma
Rating: Two out of five stars
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
The%20specs
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Company%C2%A0profile
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THREE
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How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
The Ashes
Results
First Test, Brisbane: Australia won by 10 wickets
Second Test, Adelaide: Australia won by 120 runs
Third Test, Perth: Australia won by an innings and 41 runs
Fourth Test: Melbourne: Drawn
Fifth Test: Australia won by an innings and 123 runs
The biog
Name: Salvador Toriano Jr
Age: 59
From: Laguna, The Philippines
Favourite dish: Seabass or Fish and Chips
Hobbies: When he’s not in the restaurant, he still likes to cook, along with walking and meeting up with friends.
Leading all-time NBA scorers
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38,387
Karl Malone 36,928
Kobe Bryant 33,643
Michael Jordan 32,292
LeBron James 31,425
Wilt Chamberlain 31,419
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Brief scoreline:
Toss: South Africa, elected to bowl first
England (311-8): Stokes 89, Morgan 57, Roy 54, Root 51; Ngidi 3-66
South Africa (207): De Kock 68, Van der Dussen 50; Archer 3-27, Stokes 2-12
