Attacker drives van into Barcelona crowd; 12 dead, 80 hurt

A white van jumped up onto a sidewalk and sped down a pedestrian zone Thursday in Barcelona's historic Las Ramblas district, swerving from side to side as it plowed into tourists and residents. Authorities said 12 people were killed and 80 were wounded, 15 of them seriously, in what they called a terror attack.

The afternoon attack in the northeastern Spanish city was the country's deadliest since 2004, when al-Qaida-inspired bombers killed 192 people in coordinated attacks on Madrid's commuter trains.

It left victims sprawled out in the street, spattered with blood or crippled by broken limbs. Others fled in panic, screaming or carrying young children in their arms. As witnesses and emergency workers tried to help the wounded, police brandishing hand guns launched a search of side streets looking for suspects.

The president of Spain's Catalonia region, Carles Puigdemont, provided the updated casualty figures, correcting an earlier government tweet that said 13 people were killed. He said that two people had been arrested.

Police immediately cordoned off the city's broad avenue and ordered stores and nearby Metro and train stations to close. They asked people to stay away from the area so as not to get in the way of emergency services. A helicopter hovered over the scene.

Police evacuated stores on the sprawling avenue where scores of people had taken cover.

State-owned broadcaster RTVE reported that investigators think two vans were used — one for the attack and a second as a getaway vehicle.

Las Ramblas, a street of stalls and shops that cuts through the center of Barcelona, is one of the city's top tourist destinations. People walk down a wide, pedestrian path in the center of the street while cars can travel on either side.

A taxi driver who witnessed the attack, Oscar Cano, told TV3 the van jumped onto the central pedestrian area at a high speed and swerved from side to side.

Tamara Jurgen, a Dutch visitor who had just arrived, said she and a friend were inside a Zara clothing store steps from Placa Catalunya when the attacker drove down Las Ramblas. They were held inside for more than two hours until police cleared that block.

"Everyone was screaming and running. We had to run up to the roof and throw our bags over a wall. We were all together along this (3-meter, 10-foot) wall and we were scared we were going to have to jump," she said.

Keith Fleming, an American who lives in Barcelona, was watching TV in his building just off Las Ramblas when he heard a noise and went out to his balcony.

"I saw women and children just running and they looked terrified," he said.

He said there was a bang — possibly from someone rolling down a store shutter — and more people ran by. Then police arrived and pushed everyone a full block away. Even people leaning out of doors were being told to go back inside, he said.

Fleming said regular police with guns drawn and riot police were at the end of his block.

"It's just kind of a tense situation," Fleming said.

Carol Augustin, a manager at La Palau Moja, an 18th-century place on Las Ramblas that houses offices and a tourism center, said the van passed right in front of the building.

"We saw everything. People started screaming and running into the office. It was such a chaotic situation. There were families with children. The police made us close the doors and wait inside," she said.

In the years since the 2004 Madrid bombings, Spanish authorities have reported arresting nearly 200 jihadis, but the only deadly attacks were claimed by the Basque separatist group ETA. Those ETA bombings in the past decade claimed five lives in all.

Condolences and offers of help poured in from Spain's allies.

U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter: "The United States condemns the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, and will do whatever is necessary to help. Be tough & strong, we love you!"

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson offered assistance to authorities in Spain and said U.S. diplomats in Spain were helping Americans there. He vowed the United States would never relent in tracking down terror suspects and holding them to account.

"Terrorists around the world should know that the United States and our allies are resolved to find you and bring you to justice," Tillerson said in a statement.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said the U.K. "stands with Spain against terror" while France's president and the mayors of Paris and Nice are among the French dignitaries offering support for Barcelona after a deadly van attack.

French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted Thursday evening: "All my thoughts and solidarity from France for the victims of the tragic attack in Barcelona. We will remain united and determined."

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said "this cowardly attack has deliberately targeted those enjoying life and sharing time with family and friends. We will never be cowed by such barbarism."

Spain has been on a security alert one step below the maximum since June 2015 following attacks elsewhere in Europe and Africa.

Cars, trucks and vans have been the weapon of choice in multiple extremist attacks in Europe in the last year.

The most deadly was the driver of a tractor-trailer who targeted Bastille Day revelers in the southern French city of Nice in July 2016, killing 86 people. In December 2016, 12 people died after a driver used a hijacked trick to drive into a Christmas market in Berlin.

There have been multiple attacks this year in London, where a man in a rented SUV plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing four people before he ran onto the grounds of Parliament and stabbed an unarmed police officer to death in March.

Four other men drove onto the sidewalk of London Bridge, unleashing a rampage with knives that killed eight people in June. Another man also drove into pedestrians leaving a London mosque later in June.

———

Barry Hatton reported from Lisbon. Ciaran Giles in Madrid also contributed to this report.

On August 21st, approximately 25,000 U.S. troops will join “tens of thousands” from the South Korean military to conduct a “major military exercise” that is already triggering threats from North Korea. Considering the fact that any sort of provocation could cause a nuclear war to erupt on the Korean peninsula, is this really a wise thing to do? The more research that I do on this upcoming solar eclipse, the strangerthings become. When I first started hearing about this eclipse many months ago, I didn’t pay too much attention, but now after looking into it extensively I do believe that it is going to be quite significant.

And I didn’t even know about this major military exercise that will happen during the eclipse until today. The following comes from MSN…

The U.S. military is preparing to launch a major military exercise with South Korea in coming days, and faces a dangerous balancing act: How do you reassure allies in the region that you are ready for a war with North Korea without provoking an actual conflict in the process?

The annual Ulchi-Freedom Guardian exercise is scheduled for 10 days beginning Aug. 21, and will include about 25,000 U.S. troops along with tens of thousands of South Koreans. The exercise focuses on defending South Korea against an attack from the north, and each year triggers threats and rebukes from North Korea. But it comes at an especially sensitive time now, following the exchange of a series of threats between President Trump and North Korea.

Another thing that we just found out is that meteorologists are warning that a major hurricane could potentially start approaching the east coast of the United States during the time of the solar eclipse. It has been almost 12 years since a major hurricane made landfall in this country, and so it is very odd that this would be happening all of a sudden.

As I have discussed previously, many believe that the upcoming solar eclipse and the 40 day period that follows may be some type of “warning” for America. And traditionally, this 40 day period has been a time of repentance for the people of Israel…

On August 21, a total solar eclipse will mark a trail from the Northwest US to the Southeast Atlantic Seaboard. The eclipse will occur on the last day of the Hebrew month Av, a day known as Yom Kippur Katan, the “small day of repentance.” The morning after the eclipse, Jews will begin blowing the shofar every morning for a 40-day period of profound repentance leading up to Yom Kippur. This corresponds to the 40 days Moses was on Mount Sinaiatoning for the Jewish people.

It is also very interesting to note that this eclipse comes exactly 33 days before the “Revelation 12 sign” that will appear in the heavens on September 23rd. The first state that the solar eclipse of August 21st will cross will be Oregon, and many have noted that Oregon is our 33rd state. And the solar eclipse will finish crossing the nation on the 33rd parallel in the state of South Carolina.

So is that just a coincidence?

It might be.

Another extremely interesting fact is that the very first large city that the path of the eclipse will cross is Salem, Oregon. Of course Salem is short for Jerusalem, and it turns out that the path of the eclipse will reach Salem at just about the same time that the sun is setting in Jerusalem.

Another coincidence?

Maybe.

Seven years after the eclipse on August 21st, another one will cross our nation in 2024. Together, the paths of those two eclipses will mark a giant “X” directly over the middle part of the country. And amazingly, the combined time of the totality of those two eclipses will be seven minutes.

And this eclipse is just the beginning. Over the subsequent 40 days there are quite a few critical events that people are buzzing about. The following list comes from one of my previous articles…

August 23 – A FEMA exercise known as “EarthEX2017” will simulate “catastrophes such as mega earthquakes, cyber terrorism or high altitude electromagnetic pulse attacks”…

An exercise sponsored by FEMA and the U.S. Department of Energy set to take place on August 23 called EarthEX2017 will wargame responses to catastrophes such as mega earthquakes, cyber terrorism or high altitude electromagnetic pulse attacks.

The exercise will simulate a “subcontinent-scale, long duration power outage, with cascading failures of all other infrastructures,” according to the official Earth Ex website.

“Black sky events” are defined as, “Catastrophic occurrences caused by man or nature that bring society to its knees.”

September 1 – This marks the start of FEMA’s annual “National Preparedness Month“.

September 1 – The U.S. State Department’s ban on U.S. citizens traveling into North Korea goes into effect. Many are concerned that this is yet another sign that we are moving toward war with North Korea.

September 11 – This will be the 16th anniversary of 9/11.

September 20 – Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset.

September 21 – The UN International Day Of Peace

September 23 – This is the date of what has become known as “the Revelation 12 sign”. If you are not familiar with this alignment yet, the following is a very brief summary…

On September 23rd a unique astronomical alignment of the Sun, Moon, constellation Virgo, constellation Leo, and planets Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, and Venus is going to fulfill this passage from the book of Revelation:

And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.

September 24 – Very important national elections will be held in Germany.

September 29 – Yom Kippur begins at sunset, and it concludes on September 30th. Of course September 30th will be the end of a 40 day period that began back on the day of the Great American Eclipse on August 21st.

September 29 – U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says that the debt ceilingwill be breached on this day if Congress does not raise it by then.

September 30 – If Congress does not pass a budget by the end of this day, there will be a government shutdown just like we witnessed in 2013.

And all of this comes at a time when anger, hatred and racial tension are reaching a fever pitch in this country.

Let us pray for peace both at home and abroad, because at this moment we are rapidly approaching a boiling point.

Michael Snyder is a Republican candidate for Congress in Idaho’s First Congressional District, and you can learn how you can get involved in the campaign on his official website. His new book entitled “Living A Life That Really Matters” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.

(The Economic Collapse)

Update: 5:54 p.m. EST— The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack Thursday in Barcelona that killed at least 13 and injured at least 80, according to the Catalan government. Police said they detained two suspects, but did not have the driver who rammed into a crowd of people.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, the SITE Intelligence Group reported.

Update: 5:12 p.m. EST— Police arrested two suspects after a terror attack Thursday in Barcelona. The suspects are a Spanish national from Melilla and a Moroccan, but neither was the driver of the van that crashed into a crowd of people.

Carles Puigdemont, the Catalan president, said the region would hold three days of mourning. "Catalonia has been, and will be, a land of peace. A place of welcome. And we will not let a minority end our way of being that has been forged over centuries," he said.

Update: 4:12 p.m. EST— Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the U.S. would help Spain track down any suspects linked to a terror attack Thursday in Barcelona. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert‏ tweeted: "Sec Tillerson: Terrorists around the world should know the US and our allies are resolved to find you and bring you to justice."

Cities around the world were coming out in support of Barcelona Thursday, with light displays and other symbols of solidarity.

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Tel Aviv City Hall in solidarity with Barcelona people.

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Update: 3:27 p.m. EST— Former President Barack Obama said Thursday he was thinking of the victims of a terror attack in Barcelona, Spain. “Michelle and I are thinking of the victims and their families in Barcelona. Americans will always stand with our Spanish friends.Un abrazo,” he wrote on Twitter, using the Spanish phrase for “a hug.”

Update: 3:20 p.m. EST— Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the U.S. Senate stood with Spain after a terror attack in Barcelona Thursday that left 13 people dead. “U.S. Senate community expresses condolences to the victims of the #Barcelona terrorist attack. America stands united w/ the people of Spain,” he tweeted.

Update: 3:02 p.m. EST—President Trump has continued his reaction to the Barcelona assault, tweeting: “Study what General Pershing of the United States did to terrorists when caught. There was no more Radical Islamic Terror for 35 years!”

Update: 2:55 p.m. EST—The Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia is reporting that one of the suspected attackers involved in the vehicle-ramming attack has been shot dead by police in a shootout on the outskirts of the city. It remains unclear how many attackers were involved in the van attack.

“They won’t terrorize us,” the Spanish royal family said, condemning the assault.

French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted his solidarity with Barcelona. “We remain united and determined,” Macron said on Twitter, calling it a “tragic attack.”

Update: 2:40 p.m. EST—Police are still searching for the suspect. Catalan regional police say they are evacuating the Las Ramblas area as the manhunt continues after the van attack. This is despite their announcement that they have arrested one suspect in connection with the attack.

Regional Catalan official Joaquim Forn has confirmed 13 people dead and 50 injured in the attack.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the Barcelona assault “a revolting attack,” her spokesman said in reaction.

Update: 2:33 p.m. EST—A Catalan regional government official has confirmed on Twitter that at least 13 people have been killed in the vehicle-ramming attack in Barcelona’s city center.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said the country “stands with Spain against terror,” in reaction to the vehicle attack.

“My thoughts are with the victims of today’s terrible attack in Barcelona and the emergency services responding to this ongoing incident.” she wrote on Twitter.

Update: 2:23 p.m. EST—Catalan police, responding to initial reports, say there is no one holed up in a bar in the city center of Barcelona. But they have arrested one person and are “treating him as a terorrist.”

Again, it remains unclear if the main suspect in the van attack is Driss Oukabir, a man reportedly of Moroccan origin whose Facebook page said that he was originally from the southern French city of Marseille. It is unclear where he lived in Spain.

Update: 2:14 p.m. EST—Catalan police have confirmed that they have arrested one suspect in the Barcelona vehicle-ramming attack.

Update: 2:07 p.m. EST—President Donald Trump tweeted his response to the Barcelona vehicle-ramming attack. “The United States condemns the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, and will do whatever is necessary to help. Be tough & strong, we love you!”

The Facebook page of Driss Oukabir has now been removed from the social media platform and is inaccessible.

At present, police have confirmed that at least one person has died in the attack, with dozens injured, and at least one suspect arrested in connection with the assault.

Update: 1:57 p.m. EST—Spanish public broadcaster RTVE says one suspect in Barcelona van attack has been arrested. It remains unclear if that suspect is Driss Oukabir.

Police have confirmed Oukabir as the main suspect, according to El Pais. Oukabir is reportedly of Moroccan origin. His Facebook page shows anti-Israel posts, as well as a slew of Moroccan music videos, including one from popular rapper 7LIWA.

Social media users started posting comments underneath his posts after his identification, including remarks such as “Die in hell!” and “You murdered innocent people.”

Update: 1:48 p.m. EST—Spanish police have found a second van connected to the Barcelona attack in the Catalan town of Vic, 69 kilometers north of Barcelona, local authorities have said, according to Reuters.

First Lady Melania Trump has reacted to the attacks with condolences for the Spanish city. “Thoughts and prayers to #Barcelona,” she wrote.

Update: 1:38 p.m. EST—El Pais is reporting that one of the suspects in the vehicle-ramming attack is Driss Oukabir, in whose name the vehicle was rented. His nationality remains unknown.

Supporters of the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) are celebrating the van attack that has left at least one people dead, but there is still no claim of responsibility.

Update: 1:28 p.m. EST—Catalan police and the regional interior ministry have confirmed that at least one person has died after a van plowed into pedestrians in Barcelona’s city center. They said at least 32 people were injured in the attack, 10 of them in serious condition.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has offered American assistance to Spain in the wake of the vehicle-ramming attack.

Update: 1:16 p.m. EST—A history of vehicle attacks in Europe:

Nice (July 2016)

Tunisian national Mohamed Bouhlel plowed a 19-ton truck into revelers celebrating the Bastille Day holiday on July 14, 2016, as they watched fireworks on the French Riviera city’s Promenade des Anglais. Bouhlel killed 86 people—the deadliest-ever vehicle attack on European soil. Armed police shot and killed him when he fired out of the cab of his vehicle. ISIS later claimed responsibility for the attack.

Berlin (December 2016)

On December 19, 2016, Tunisian national Anis Amri drove a truck into a Christmas market in central Berlin, killing 12 people. He had stolen the truck from a Polish national he had shot dead.

A manhunt lasted for four days after the attack, until Italian police shot Amri dead in a Milan suburb. Amri had traveled to Italy from Germany, across the Netherlands, Belgium and France. ISIS later claimed the attack, releasing a video of Amri pledging allegiance to the group’s caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on a Berlin bridge.

London (March 2017)

On March 22, a year after the ISIS-claimed Brussels bombings, Khalid Masood rammed a Hyundai i40 into civilians on Westminster Bridge in the heart of London, killing five people. He then exited the vehicle and murdered a policeman with a knife. Armed police then shot him dead. The following day, ISIS claimed the attack.

Stockholm (April 2017)

On April 7, an attacker plowed a truck into pedestrians at the Ahlens department store on a central Stockholm street, killing at least five people, according to police. The driver had hijacked the vehicle, which belonged to Swedish brewery Spendrups, earlier in the day. A court ruled that the attacker had ISIS sympathies.

London (June 2017)

An ISIS-inspired three-man cell rammed a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before exiting with machetes and fake suicide bombs. They proceeded to stab civilians and kill eight people in and around the Borough Market area. Police shot all three men dead. ISIS claimed the attack the following day.

Update: 1:04 p.m. EST—Eyewitness accounts are beginning to emerge after the vehicle-ramming attack.

Barcelona resident and American national Keith Fleming told the Associated Press that he heard a noise and went to his balcony to see what happened. He saw “women and children just running, and they looked terrified.”

“It’s just kind of a tense situation.... Clearly, people were scared,” he said.

Update: 12:56 p.m. EST—Local radio station Cadena Ser Radio, citing police sources, says that at least 13 people have been killed in the vehicle-ramming attack. Police are yet to confirm this number, having only said that there are dead and injured as a result of the crash.

Spanish police have re-confirmed that they are treating the crash as an extremist attack.

The White House says that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly is keeping President Donald Trump informed of the situation in Barcelona.

Update: 12:46 p.m. EST—The Spanish government ordered train stations around Barcelona closed as the manhunt for the attacker continues.

The U.S. Consulate in Barcelona told Americans to remain clear of the Las Ramblas area as a security operation remains underway.

The British Ambassador to Spain, Simon Manley, said that the British Foreign Office is in touch with Spanish authorities, telling any British nationals in Barcelona to remain in a safe area.

Update: 12:36 p.m. EST—Two people are dead after the vehicle-ramming attack on Barcelona’s Las Ramblas, a regional government source told AFP news agency.

“One of the attackers is holed up in a bar,” said the source.

The number of injured remains unconfirmed but local media and eyewitnesses have said that the van hit dozens of people.

Catalan police said they have activated the protocols for the aftermath of an attack, but said that it could not confirm the motive behind the vehicle-ramming, even though they believe it to be intentional.

Update: 12:26 p.m. EST—Catalan police confirmed that there are dead and injured following the attack on Las Ramblas. They did not provide specific numbers.

They said that there is a manhunt underway for the driver of the van who plowed into dozens of civilians in Barcelona. Local media has said that the attacker is holed up in a bar.

Authorities are yet to confirm this but footage posted on Twitter showed armed police searching for the attacker in La Boqueria food market.

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La @barcelona_GUB busca al agresor, arma en mano, dentro@la_boqueria #Barcelona http://cort.as/yoxE

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Update: 12:16 p.m. EST—El Pais is reporting that the driver of the van has holed himself in a Barcelona bar after plowing into civilians.

El Periodico newspaper reported that two armed men had locked themselves in a bar, and reported gunfire in the area of the La Boqueria Market. Police are yet to confirm that there is a stand-off with armed men.

While no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, Spain has so far avoided a vehicle-ramming assault directed or inspired by the Islamic State militant group (ISIS).

But the country still remains at the forefront of counter-terrorism in Europe, as it sits in close proximity to North Africa, and even has the European Union's only territory in North Africa, the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. Spanish authorities in recent years have broken up several cells with Moroccan nationals members or leaders of the networks.

Update: 12:06 p.m. EST—Images published by public broadcaster RTVE showed at least three people lying on the ground after the incident.

Video footage shot after the vehicle-ramming showed civilians running away from the scene. Many would have been enjoying a summer's day in the middle of the coastal city.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said that he is in touch with the relevant authorities and that the priority after the incident is to help the injured.

Barcelona emergency services have told anyone in the Placa Catalunya area to remain where they are, and stay inside.

Police requested that those who are safe in the area use social media to tell their friends and families that they are okay.

Update: 11:56 a.m. EST—Barcelona police have now confirmed that the crash on Las Ramblas is a "terorrist attack."

Local media, cited by Reuters, said that two armed men had barricaded themselves in a restaurant near Las Ramblas.

The incident is ongoing and the motive for the attack remains unclear. But Las Ramblas is one of the most popular streets in the northern Spanish city, with a wide berth for pedestrians to walk, that allows cars to drive either side.

Eyewitness footage showed police evacuating and cordoning off the Placa Catalunya area.

Update: 11:46 a.m. EST—Authorities have not confirmed the arrest of the vehicle's driver and Spanish weekly newspaper El Pais, citing a police source, reported that the driver of the van fled the scene on foot.

Spanish daily La Vanguardia reported that the white van hit dozens of people. The number of casualties remains unclear.

Ambulances were on the scene to treat those injured in the crash and police cordoned off the street and closed its stores. Police reiterated that people should avoid the area, and only follow "information from official sources."

Original story:

A van plowed into dozens of pedestrians on the famous Las Ramblas shopping street on Thursday in what Spanish police are calling a "massive crash."

Barcelona emergency services warned the public to stay away from Placa Catalunya an confirmed that a "serious incident" was underway.

They said that a white van mounted the sidewalk, striking civilians on the street that is popular with tourists.

Footage circulating on social media showed police sealing off the Placa Catalunya area. Other images purported to show a white van from the incident, with bodies on the ground.

There is no indication yet that the incident is a radical Islamist attack, but if it is it would represent Spain's first in over a decade. The deadliest attack in Europe for decades took place in Spain when an Al-Qaeda-inspired cell blew up a Madrid commuter train in 2004, killing 192 people.

Western European countries have suffered a series of vehicle-ramming attacks inspired by the Islamic State militant group (ISIS), the deadliest in the southern French city of Nice, which left 86 people dead. Berlin and London have also been targeted in deadly vehicle assaults.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Officers investigate at the scene where police had killed four attackers in Cambrils, south of Barcelona, in this still image taken from Reuters video on August 18, 2017. REUTERS TV via REUTERS

Spanish police say five alleged suspects were killed in an apparent counterterrorism operation in the town of Cambrils, early Friday morning.

Several of the suspects, armed with guns, were discovered during a security check, according to BBC's translation of La Vanguardia, a Spanish newspaper.

The suspects led the police on a chase, which ended when their van overturned. Police fired on the suspects as they got out of the vehicle, La Vanguardia reported.

One of the suspects, while on foot, attempted to stab people.

Catalan emergency services said six civilians and one police officer were injured in the incident, according to Reuters.

"We are working under the assumption that the events in Cambrils are related to a terrorist attack," Catalan police tweeted, according to CNN. "We have brought down those allegedly responsible."

The scene in Cambrils, about 90 minutes outside of Barcelona, unfolded hours after a van plowed into pedestrians in Barcelona's Las Ramblas, killing at least 13 people. The incident in Cambrils, the van attack in Barcelona, and the explosion in Alcanar that killed one person, were all believed to be linked, according to Catalan officials.

Emergency services advised on Twitter that people in the vicinity should "stay home, stay, safe," according to Reuters.

Video footage of the alleged scene emerged, where gunshots could be heard amid police sirens:

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