Conspiracy Check

Theories · Death

2017 Barcelona attacks

On the afternoon of 17 August 2017, 22-year-old Younes Abouyaaqoub drove a van into a crowd of pedestrians on La Rambla street in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, killing 13 people and injuring at least 130 others, one of whom died as a result of the injuries ten days later, on 27 August. Abouyaaqoub fled the attack on foot, then killed another person in order to steal the victim's car and escape. He was later killed by police in Subirats, a town 31 kilometres (19 mi) west of Barcelona, on 21 August. Nine hours after the Barcelona attack, five more men, thought to be members of the same terrorist cell, drove into another group of pedestrians in nearby Cambrils, killing one woman and injuring six.

Read the full Wikipedia article ↗ 9,938 reads in 60 days

Check the claims

Search independent fact-checkers for this topic:

Action items

Prevention steps

  1. StopNotice a strong emotion (anger, fear, 'they don't want you to know') before you share. Pause first.
  2. Investigate the sourceWho is making the claim, what's their expertise, and what do they gain if you believe it?
  3. Find better coverageRead laterally: open new tabs and see what independent outlets and fact-checkers say.
  4. Trace claims to the originFind the original study, video or document. Check dates and whether quotes are cut.
  5. Ask what would change your mindReal theories can be tested. If every piece of counter-evidence 'proves' the cover-up, it can't be.
  6. Count the peopleBig secret plots need thousands of people to stay silent for years. That rarely happens.
  7. Talk, don't mockWith friends or family, ask questions, listen, share your own sources calmly. Shame backfires.
  8. PrebunkLearn the common tricks (cherry-picking, fake experts, false dilemmas) so you spot them early.

Related