Spain attacks: Journalists arrested for breaking cordon at terror house

Two journalists who allegedly broke through a police cordon to gain access to a house apparently being used as a bomb factory by a terror cell have been arrested.

The two Spanish journalists were arrested by the Catalan provincial police force, Los Mossos d'Esquadra, which is investigating the house – which exploded on Wednesday.

Three Italian journalists who were at the scene were not arrested because they had not broken into the address, Spanish news agency EFE quotes a spokesperson for Los Mossos as saying.

The house in question is located in the town of Alcanar, which is on the coast just over two hours drive south of Barcelona.

An explosion that occurred there on Wednesday night killed at least one person. Police searching the rubble say they have also found the remains of a number of gas canisters, which it is believed were to be used in a truck bomb before their accidental detonation.

This weekend the police had warned they might be carrying out controlled explosions as part of their investigation, warning people not to be alarmed if they heard explosions coming from near the house.

Investigators have theorised that Thursday’s deadly van attack on La Rambla was put into motion after the more elaborate plan featuring explosives failed with the accidental detonation in Alcanar.

The attack on La Rambla injured 120 people and claimed the lives of at least 13. Another woman was killed at a follow-up attack in nearby Cambrils on Friday, bringing the total number of victims to 14.

Five alleged members of the terror cell were shot by police at that second attack.