Queen condemns 'deeply upsetting' Barcelona terror attack in message of condolence to Spanish King Felipe

The Queen has sent a message of condolence to the King of Spain over the terror attack in Barcelona.

Her Majesty issued a statement via Buckingham Palace in the aftermath of the ISIS-claimed atrocity.

In a statement signed Elizabeth R she said that she and Prince Philip sent their "sincere condolences" to those who lost loved ones and said the attack was "deeply upsetting."

She said she sent her "heartfelt sympathies" to those caught up in the attack.

The message read: "Prince Philip and I send our sincere condolences to Your Majesty, and the people of Spain, following the terrible terrorist attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils which killed and seriously injured many.

"It is deeply upsetting when innocent people are put at risk in this way when going about their daily lives.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost loved ones and the people who are recovering in hospital.

"Please convey our heartfelt sympathies to all who have been affected by these appalling incidents."

The Queen only recently hosted a state visit to Britain by the King of Spain and his wife Queen Letizia.

The foreign monarch and his wife visited in mid-July when the King said, in a speech to parliamentarians, the UK and Spain had "frequently stood shoulder-to-shoulder" as friends, partners and allies, in the best interests of both nations.

Citizens of 34 countries were among the 13 killed and scores injured in the Barcelona attack on Thursday.

The Foreign Office said a "small number" of Britons were injured but the Prime Minister said a child with British nationality is believed to be among those unaccounted for after the attack in the capital of Catalonia.

In the early hours of Friday terrorists struck again, this time in Cambrils, a town 68 miles (109km) down the coast from Barcelona.

In the second attack, a gang of five men wearing fake suicide belts rammed civilians with a car before being shot dead by police.

A woman who was critically injured in the second attack later became the 14th fatality of the Spanish atrocity.

Barcelona, a hugely popular tourist destination, came to a halt at noon on Friday (11am BST) as a minute's silence was observed in the Placa Catalunya, close to the scene of the attack.

Led by King Felipe and Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, the silence was then followed by applause for the victims.

Three days of mourning have been declared by the government of Catalonia.