Dutch foil possible attack on tip from Spain; no Barcelona link

A Spanish man was detained by Dutch police on Wednesday after he was found driving a van with gas canisters near a Rotterdam venue where a rock concert was canceled due to a threat of a possible attack.

Although Spanish police tipped the Dutch to potential danger at the venue known as Maassilo where California band Allah-Las was set to play, a judicial source in Spain told Reuters there was no link to the attacks in Spain last week.

The source said the tip resulted from an investigation by the Spanish Civil Guard that had been under way for some time and had no direct relation to the two vehicle attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils in Catalonia that killed 15 people.

Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb told a news conference it was also not clear whether the threat tip and the detection of the van were connected. He warned against “swift conclusions” while noting the white van had Spanish license plates and had been flagged for circling near the concert venue.

Read the whole story from Reuters.

Featured image courtesy of AP