Suspected driver of van that killed 13 people shot dead - Police

dimeji akinloye

August 21, 2017 8:27 PM

The 22-year-old Moroccan national, Younes Abouyaaqoub, was killed during an operation in Subirats town, west of Barcelona.

People flee the scene of the attack which occurred in Barcelona, Spain, on August 17, 2017.

Police in

The 22-year-old Moroccan national, Younes Abouyaaqoub, was killed on Monday, August 21, during an operation in Subirats town, west of Barcelona, the Catalan police wrote on twitter.

The deceased suspect was said to be wearing an explosives belt as the police hunted him.

BBC reports that a robot was sent to remove the explosives belt from the suspect body before officers would be cleared to approach it, police said.

Abouyaaqoub was believed to have fled the scene of last Thursday's attack on foot and hijacked a car to escape - 13 people were killed in the attack and over 120 others wounded.

He also allegedly stabbed the owner of the escape-car and drove off with his (the car owner) body inside the car.

Reports said police fired on the car after it rammed through a checkpoint just after 6pm on Thursday night but Abouyaaqoub was able to escape a second time.

Pau Perez, the escape-car owner was found dead in the vehicle, becoming the 15th victim of the attacks in Barcelona and the Catalan town of Cambrils, where one woman died early on Friday morning.

dimeji akinloye