The terrorist suspected of aiding the Barcelona terror attack was involved in anti-Israel and anti-Semitic online propaganda.
The terrorist suspected of renting the van used to plow through pedestrians on Las Ramblas in the Spanish capital of Barcelona, killing 14 people and wounding over 100, had ranted online about the so-called “Israeli occupation of Palestine.”
Media reports say that the terrorist, Driss Oukabir, shared a post last month on social media showing graphic photos and a video of a child appearing to be manhandled by an Israeli soldier.
The translated caption is said to have read: “Alas! what has happened to our Arabism. Even the children haven’t been rescued from the Israeli occupation. Post this video to be watched by the whole people in the world.”
The July 21st post was made after two Israeli police officers were murdered by three Arabs in a shooting on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, TMZ reported.
Avi Mayer, spokesman for the Jewish Agency, also tweeted that the suspect had posted an anti-Semitic video on Facebook, “alleging a global Jewish conspiracy to take over the world”.
“The video is titled “What is Zionism? A Brief Introduction” and links to what seems to be a neo-Nazi YouTube page,” Mayer wrote on Twitter.
Oukabir’s Facebook page has disappeared as it was flooded with angry, threatening messages from people around the world before it was apparently taken offline.
Oukabir, 28 and of Moroccan origin, is being hunted by police, as is the driver who carried out the attack and fled on foot.
Responding to the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement Thursday night: “Tonight we saw, once again, that terrorism can strike anywhere. The civilized world must fight together in order to defeat it.”
President Reuven Rivlin send a letter of condolence to Spanish King Filipe VI, saying that “our hearts and thoughts are with the people of Spain at this difficult time. Sadly, we, in Israel, are no strangers to the horror and grief that follows such murderous attacks and can truly understand the pain you all feel now.”
By: United with Israel Staff