UPDATE: The police force for Spain’s Catalonia region says it has arrested a man in the Barcelona van attack and is “treating him as a terrorist.”
The police force announced the arrest on Twitter Thursday evening.
It denied earlier media reports that officers had a suspect surrounded in a bar.
The tweet said: “There is nobody held up in any bar in the center of Barcelona. We have arrested one man and we are treating him as a terrorist.”
Meanwhile, the region’s interior minister is calling on residents to remain indoors and avoid unnecessary travel while the investigation continues.
EARLIER: Police official in Barcelona says 1 death confirmed, 32 seriously injured in van attack.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP): Police in Spain have confirmed they are investigating the van incident in Barcelona as a terror attack.
A van slammed into pedestrians on Thursday in Barcelona’s historic Las Ramblas district, which is normally packed at the height of the summer tourist season.
Catalan police said: “We confirm the terrorist attack. The protocol for terrorist attacks has been activated.”
Media outlets, including Cadena SER radio station and TV3, are reporting up to 13 dead. Other reports had varying death tolls.
An official death toll has not been issued.