Spain commemorated the eighth anniversary of the terrorist attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils that killed 16 people and injured over 100, as former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont reignited controversy by alleging state intelligence failures and demanding full transparency.
Ceremonies were held in Barcelona, notably on Las Ramblas where a van ploughed into pedestrians on 17 August 2017, killing 13. Hours later, in the coastal town of Cambrils, five attackers rammed people with a car before being shot dead by police; one woman died there. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks carried out by a cell based in Ripoll, Catalonia.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, Former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont called the tragedy “an open wound that must be closed with careful attention to the relatives and the search for the whole truth.” He directly linked ongoing parliamentary inquiries in Catalonia to persistent questions over the role of Spain’s National Intelligence Centre (CNI).
“The more information we obtain, the more questions increase in the face of the obvious connection between the masterminds of the attacks and the CNI,” Puigdemont stated.
Puigdemont asserted that Catalan authorities had been forced, “dragging our feet,” to open commissions of inquiry to clarify “the dark points surrounding the preparations for the attack.” He accused Spanish state services of misplaced priorities.
“They were obsessed with stopping the independence movement while terrorism was acting right under their noses and with suspicious police conduct,” the former president wrote, vowing to continue pressing for answers.
Spanish authorities have consistently denied allegations that the CNI had prior knowledge of the attack plot or any involvement. Investigations confirmed the cell, radicalised by the late imam Abdelbaki Es Satty, had initially planned large-scale bombings using explosives manufactured in Alcanar.
An accidental explosion at that bomb factory the night before the attacks forced them to adopt the vehicle-ramming tactics instead. The attacks triggered significant changes in European counter-terrorism strategies, particularly concerning the threat of low-tech, vehicle-based assaults.
Despite the controversy, Puigdemont joined current officials in praising the emergency response and public resilience.
“Once again, a huge thank you to all the public servants who acted with great speed and professionalism in those key hours, and my admiration for the unanimous and courageous response of the citizen to the cry of ‘I am not afraid!’” he stated.
The spontaneous chant of “No tinc por!” (I’m not afraid) became a defining symbol of Barcelona’s defiance in the immediate aftermath.
Victims’ associations and officials, including current Catalan President, attended memorial events, laying flowers and observing moments of silence. The focus remains on supporting survivors and the families of the victims, while the political debate over the full circumstances leading up to the attacks continues unabated.
