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The New Face of Daesh 'Terrifying Europe'

© REUTERS / Susana VeraPeople react at an impromptu memorial a day after a van crashed into pedestrians at Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain August 18, 2017
People react at an impromptu memorial a day after a van crashed into pedestrians at Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain August 18, 2017 - Sputnik International
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Following the recent terrorist attacks in Spain's Catalonia region, Sputnik talked to Middle East expert Colonel Omar Locatelli about the recent spate of violence.

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Locatelli said that there is a new breed of terrorists "terrifying European residents" whose main goal is to kill as many people as possible.

According to him, Daesh has three types of recruits in its ranks: ordinary gunmen, suicide bombers and so called inghimasi, which can be translated into English "those who stand over death."

"These are not lone wolves; they are rather like Japanese kamikazes who seek to inflict maximum damage by killing large groups of people, but with the difference that these jihadists want to avoid their own death," the expert explained.

The militants are French-speaking fighters trained in Libya. The group calls themselves 'Katibat al Battar,' which means that they go into battle with the sword of Mohammed.

Ingimasi are responsible for six attacks across Europe.

"Security measures on transport, for example, on airplanes, have become too tight, which is why today terrorists are looking for ways to carry out attacks in crowded places using vans," Locatelli noted.

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The first such attack occurred on July 14, 2016, when 85 people were killed by a truck during the celebration of Bastille Day in France.

Another attack of the same kind took place in Berlin on December 19, when a truck rammed into a crowd of people at the Christmas market, killing 12 people and injuring dozens more.

Similar attacks later took place in Great Britain and Sweden.

On Thursday, a van plowed into a crowd of pedestrians on Las Ramblas street in Barcelona, killing 13 people and injuring more than 100 others.
Hours after the incident, another vehicle attack took place in the coastal town of Cambrils, south of Barcelona, killing one and injuring five civilians as well as a police officer.

Daesh has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

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