AT least 13 people have died and around 80 were injured after a van ploughed into pedestrians in a terror attack in a busy tourist area of Barcelona.

Catalan police arrested two people after a white Fiat van tore through Las Ramblas, which was packed with shoppers and holidaymakers. The vehicle careered into terrified pedestrians in the busy tree-lined promenade, one of the most popular parts of the city.

Local media said police were hunting a man named Driss Oukabir who is suspected of having rented the van used in the attack. The passport of a Spanish citizen, of Moroccan origin, was found at the scene. The identity of those arrested is not clear.

There were also reports that detectives believe two vans were used, one for the attack and a second as a getaway vehicle. Unconfirmed local reports suggested an attacker had been shot by police on the outskirts of the city. Police also said a driver had run over two police officers in a town north of Barcelona, but it was not clear if this was related to the attack.

Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack.

The terror group has frequently declared that it was behind terrorist incidents in recent years, but experts have warned their claims should be treated with caution.

The terror attack – the deadliest in Spanish since more than 190 people died in the Madrid train bombs in 2004 – brought widespread condemnation.

Carles Puigdemont, the president of Catalonia, confirmed the two arrests at a press conference. He also said 12 people were confirmed dead and at least 80 taken to hospital, which conflicted with interior minister Joaquim Forn, who said 13 people had died.

A Belgian national is among the dead, Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister Didier Reynders confirmed on Twitter. Catalan police said 15 people were seriously injured in the attack.

Last night, Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “My thoughts are with everyone affected by the horrific and mindless attack in Barcelona.”

Prime Minister Theresa May said the UK “stands with Spain against terror” following the deadly attack in Barcelona.

“My thoughts are with the victims of today’s terrible attack in Barcelona and the emergency services responding to this ongoing incident,” she said.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter: “The United States condemns the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, and will do whatever is necessary to help. Be tough & strong, we love you!”

Video captured by eyewitnesses and circulating on social media showed the bloody aftermath of the incident.

Many victims, some bleeding heavily, were visible in one clip – lying amid piles of souvenirs.

Rizza Javier, from Essex, was eating at a restaurant along the road with her son and husband when they were forced to take shelter.

She said: “We were eating inside the Itapa restaurant when we suddenly heard and saw people screaming, crying and running in the street, some came inside the restaur-ant so I grabbed my son to the upper floor of restaurant.

“A bus stopped right in front and a couple who came out of the bus saw the van. They told us there was a van who rammed into people in the street. Then we saw police in the streets running and heard gun shots, saw ambulances with people injured.

“We were all scared because the van was near the restaurant and we were told the terrorist was on foot.”

The family were forced to stay locked in the restaurant for two hours, she said.

Yesterday’s attack followed the pattern of recent vehicle-led attacks in Nice, Berlin and London.

Since the deadly Madrid bombings more than a decade ago, the spectre of international terrorism has been at the forefront of Spain’s security efforts. Some 191 people died when four commuter trains were bombed in March 2004. It remains the most deadly terror attack on European soil in the 21st century.

Following the Madrid bombings, a national counter-terror crackdown was launched in Spain, preventing scores of attacks. Spanish authorities have reported arresting nearly 200 jihadis, with the only deadly attacks in the past decade being claimed by the Basque separatist group ETA.

More than 100 people are on the radar of police, Spanish paper El Pais said in June, while 259 people are being investigated by the courts and 500 telephones are being tapped as part of dozens of investigations.

The newspaper said more than 3000 officers from the security forces, spies, prosecutors, judges and analysts were working behind the scene with the country on high alert.

Last year, 10 separate terror plots were foiled in Spain, Europol said.