Crackdown on car and van rentals to halt terror attacks

British drivers will face extra checks before renting vehicles to ensure they are not extremists under Government plans being developed after the Barcelona attack.

Ministers are so concerned by how easily terrorists are getting hold of rented vans to drive into pedestrians that they have ordered a crackdown, the Telegraph has learnt.

Information handed over to rental companies – including names, addresses and financial details – could be cross-checked against criminal watch lists, sources said.

Drivers could also be told to give more personal details as officials consider whether more information could help spot likely attackers.

Barcelona was the latest target for an attack using a rental vehicle after similar incidents in Westminster, London Bridge, Finsbury Park and Nice.

Home Office and Department for Transport officials have held talks with the car rental industry about bringing in tougher measures.

News of the crackdown emerged as: 

• A police hunt for Younes Abouyaaqoub, the suspected van driver in the Barcelona attack, intensified as he continued to evade capture. 

• Security services focused their investigation on an imam believed to have led the terror cell in Ripoll.

• The family of Julian Cadman, the seven-year-old Briton missing since the attack, arrived in Spain. 

• A British paramedic was praised as a hero for taking on a knife attacker in a separate terror incident in Finland.

Last week the Barcelona attackers used two rental vans – one to run over pedestrians and another as a suspected getaway vehicle – to kill 13 people and leave almost 130 wounded.

It is believed they had previously attempted to rent a truck for a bomb attack but were thwarted because they lacked the correct paperwork.

Ministers have tasked officials with looking into whether more can be done to spot would-be attackers before they are handed the keys to rental vehicles.

Currently three checks are carried out by rental companies to prove the driver’s identification, that they have enough money to pay and are correctly insured and licensed.

However, there is a hope that the information submitted for bookings could be used more efficiently to flag people of concern.

Talks between officials and the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) have been held recently, though no final decision has been made on any changes.

Toby Poston, director of external relations at BVRLA, told the Telegraph: “The industry is looking at ways to share data with the authorities in as real time as possible so it can be cross-referenced with counter-terrorism watch lists.”

A Government spokesman said it was looking at “what more can be done to prevent the malicious use of hire 

vehicles.”