Evidence has emerged the that the alleged terrorist cell responsible for the deaths of 15 people in and around Barcelona may have been planning a larger attack.
Police found 120 gas canisters in the aftermath of an explosion in Alcanar, which happened on Wednesday, the night before a van plowed into pedestrians in Barcelona, reported the BBC.
The explosion killed three people, and was thought to be linked to drug traffickers at the time. Investigators now believe the house where the explosion took place was being used to manufacture bombs and was the headquarters of the jihadist cell.
The BBC reports that the imam, Abdelbaki Es Satty, may have been killed in the attack. Some involved with the case suspect that the terrorists may have been targeting Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia church.
“They were preparing one or several attacks in Barcelona and an explosion in Alcanar stopped this, as they no longer had the material they needed to commit attacks of an even bigger scope,” said Catalonia police official Josep Lluis Trapero.
Eight members of the the alleged cell have been confirmed dead — two killed in the explosion and six shot by the police.
The four surviving suspects are in custody and are testifying before a court today.
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