As the trial began this Tuesday for the terror attacks on Barcelona and Cambrils on August 17th, 2017, the court was asked to watch a video.
In fact, a compilation of several videos showing three members of the terror cell - Younes Abouyaaqoub, Youssef Aalla and Mohamed Hichamy, all now deceased - preparing for the attack together with one of the accused in the current trial, Mohamed Houli. They are preparing explosives and weapons. There is conversation in three languages, Catalan, Spanish and Arabic, in which the group members often speak to the camera: "This is aimed at the enemies of God."
The video is paused at various points so that an interpreter can translate some of the lines spoken in Arabic for the Spanish court: "With the help of God, we are going to protect our religion," is said enthusiastically. In the last section, one of the terrorist group tries on a suicide vest, with wires and 'grenades'. "It looks good on you", says his colleague.
The three defendants in the terror attacks trial which began today denied during their initial declarations to the court they they were involved with the terrorist cell. With all six of the terrorists who physically carried out the deadly 2017 attacks on Barcelona's Rambla and the Cambrils waterfront having been shot by Mossos police, the three men whose trial began today are accused of assisting the terrorist crimes in different ways.
Mohamed Houli, Driss Oukabir and Saïd ben lazza refused to answer questions from the prosecution, as is their right, and only gave vague responses to the questions put by their defence lawyers.
16 killed
The explosives prepared by the terrorists in 2017 were, in the end, not used as part of their attack. An explosion at the group's bomb-making centre in the Catalan locality of Alcanar killed two of them and meant they had to change their plans. Instead of attacking the Camp Nou stadium or the Sagrada Famìlia temple with explosives they killed 16 people and injured over 140 in a van attack on Barcelona's Rambla and a second rampage in the town of Cambrils.