© MossosThe scene at El Prat airport in Barcelona.
The Mossos d'Esquadra, Barcelona's police force, confirmed that two men attempted to storm the Terminal 1 bulking at the El Prat international airport at approximately 5am local time on Friday.
The men made it as far as the food court of the airport, reportedly shouting Islamist slogans, before they were arrested.
Technicians from Spain's bomb squad Tedax were also deployed to investigate the vehicle which was found to not contain any explosive devices. No weapons or ammunition were discovered in the vehicle either.
Despite reports that the perpetrators shouted Islamist slogans, the police are not currently treating the incident as a terrorist attack. In spite of the bizarre incident, the airport remains open and is functioning normally.
Authorities have yet to rule out terrorism as a motive. However, neither of the men has any prior convictions or associations with known terrorist groups, according to Interior Minister Miquel Buch and Commissioner Eduard Sallent.
Comment: More than a bit bizarre considering how well known it is that most European countries are on lockdown with very few travelling at the moment. They may be mentally deranged or that whoever is behind this is hoping that it will be a 'gentle' reminder that 'terrorism' is ever present. I guess we'll see whether this is just the beginning.
See also: Knife wielding man shot dead by police in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on the same day of a similar incident in France