Barcelona attacks harden divisions between Spain and Catalonia
Madrid accuses Catalan leaders of using last week's attacks to win independence from Spain at the cost of the region’s security.
Spains King Felipe (C) looks down as he stands along politicians including Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy (3rdL) and President of the Generalitat of Catalonia Carles Puigdemont (3rdR) while they observe a minute of silence in Placa de Catalunya, a day after a van crashed into pedestrians at Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain on August 18, 2017.
The attacks in and around Barcelona last week has led rival Spanish and Catalan politicians to show solidarity.
However, with the end of the hunt for the assailants this week, both sides are shifting the blame on what could have been done to prevent the attacks ahead of a Catalan independence referendum scheduled on October 1.
Catalan leaders have been accused of politicising the tragedy to win independence from Spain at the cost of the region’s security.
Far from the political dispute, the Barcelona attacks have made an already tense situation for both sides more fraught.
TRT World's Abubakr Al Shamahi has more.
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