Manhunt for 'van driver' as police search for Younes Abouyaaqoub, the 'final jihadi'

At least six men from the small Pyrenees town of Ripoll are thought to have been involved in the Las Ramblas and Cambrils terror attacks - AFP
At least six men from the small Pyrenees town of Ripoll are thought to have been involved in the Las Ramblas and Cambrils terror attacks - AFP

The "final jihadi", who is thought to have driven the van into the crowd in Barcelona, is on the run.

An international manhunt is underway for Younes Abouyaaqoub, 22, who is the only suspect who remains missing.

His documents were reportedly found in a second van rented by the gang in Vic, a town around 40 miles from the Spanish city of Cambrils, where the second terror attack took place.

Three of the men, all thought to be of Moroccan origin and including chief suspect Moussa Oukabir, were said to have been killed by Spanish police during the second attack in Cambrils on Thursday night. 

AFP/Getty Images - Credit: AFP/Getty Images
Younes Abouyaaqoub, one of the suspects of the Barcelona and Cambrils attacks Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Mohammed Hychami, 23, who lived in the same building as Moussa Oukabir, and Said Aalla, 19, who lived in nearby Ribes de Freser, Girona, were also killed in the shootout.

Meanwhile, four other men from Ripoll, including Oukabir's older brother, Driss, and Aalla's brother Mohammed, who was arrested late last night, have been detained by Mossos d'Esqaudra. 

Police officials confirmed that 11 of the 12 man terror cell had either been killed or detained. 

This means Younes Abouyaaqoub, on the run, is the final missing suspect.

Terror in Spain: Dozens killed and injured in Barcelona and Cambrils
Terror in Spain: Dozens killed and injured in Barcelona and Cambrils

Police also advised that while they know of 12 people in the terror cell, they cannot be absolutely certain there were no others involved.

Speaking to The Telegraph, a young woman who asked to remain anonymous said that she had gone to school with Abouyaaqoub, adding: "Younes was a shy boy, I have said this to others. I did not think he could do something like this." 

Another local told the Catalonian newspaper La Vanguardia that Abouyaaqoub had associated with a group of men of Moroccan descent from varying age groups, including Hychami, who he said was two years older and more "boastful". 

Barcelona attack key articles
Barcelona attack key articles