Barcelona attack: Royals attend special Mass for victims

Image copyright AFP Image caption The king and queen attend the Mass at Sagrada Familia

King Felipe and Queen Letizia are attending Barcelona's famous Sagrada Familia to mourn the 14 people killed in vehicle attacks in Catalonia.

Police are still hunting the driver of a van that killed 13 at Barcelona's Las Ramblas. A 14th victim died in a second attack at Cambrils.

Ministers say the jihadist cell behind the attacks has been dismantled.

But police are still hunting for the van driver and an imam missing from a mosque in the town of Ripoll.

The special Mass is being celebrated at the iconic, Gaudi-designed Sagrada Familia.

Some reports in Spanish media say the jihadist cell had intended to target the Sagrada Familia with explosives.

PM Mariano Rajoy is also attending the Mass, where there is tight security.

On Saturday the royal couple laid a wreath at the site of the attack at Las Ramblas, accompanied by Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau and Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont.

Catalonia has always been fiercely independent but the royals' presence brought shouts of "Long live the king!"

The king and queen earlier met victims of the Barcelona attack in the city's Hospital del Mar.

LIVERPOOL REJECTS BARCA'S £90M BID FOR COUTINHO

English Premier League side Liverpool FC have rejected a bid of 100 million euros (about £90m or N45bn) from Spanish side FC Barcelona for Brazil playmaker Philippe Coutinho.

Barca’s second bid for the 25-year-old, which was rejected immediately, comprised an initial 85m euros (about £76.8m) plus 15m euros (about £13.5m) in add-ons.

Liverpool have insisted that Coutinho, who they purchased from Inter Milan for £8.5m in 2013, is not for sale.

FC Barcelona had sold Brazil forward Neymar to Paris St-Germain for a world record transfer of £200m last week and are in need of a replacement.

Coutinho, a scorer of 14 goals last season in spite of spending six weeks out with an ankle injury, had signed a new deal with Liverpool in January.

But the five-year deal did not include a release clause.

The Reds’ manager Jurgen Klopp has said they were not a “selling club’’ when Barca’s previous £72m offer was rejected in July, and that Liverpool had considered the matter closed.