Authorities Investigate Role Of Deceased Imam In Barcelona Attacks

Lydia O'Connor
Updated

A former mosque leader, who has been confirmed dead, is at the center of local authorities’ investigation into Thursday’s deadly terror attack in Barcelona, Spanish outlets reported Sunday.

On Friday, investigators began searching the apartment of Abdelbaki Es Satty, a former imam in the Spanish town of Ripoll, who authorities suspect played a major role in radicalizing the young militants who allegedly rammed a van into pedestrians on a popular tourist street in Barcelona on Thursday, killing 13 and injuring more than 100, El País reported.

Es Satty's bedroom after police raided his apartment. (Photo: Susana Vera / Reuters)
Es Satty's bedroom after police raided his apartment. (Photo: Susana Vera / Reuters)

Police confirmed Monday that Es Satty was among those killed in an explosion linked to the attack. On Wednesday night, a house in the Spanish town of Alcanar exploded during what police believe was a botched bomb-making effort carried out by those linked to the Barcelona attack.

The young men, suspected of plowing down pedestrians in Barcelona, also hailed from Ripoll, a sleepy mountain town about 60 miles from Catalonia’s capital. Es Satty, who is thought to be in his forties, first moved there in 2014 and started serving as the local mosque’s imam a year later until he left for Morocco earlier this summer, Ali Yassine, the head of the town’s Islamic association, told Reuters. He has not seen Es Satty since July.

The head of Es Satty's former mosque speaks to the media. (Photo: Albert Gea / Reuters)
The head of Es Satty's former mosque speaks to the media. (Photo: Albert Gea / Reuters)

The landlord of Es Satty’s flat, however, told Reuters that he last saw Es Satty on Tuesday and that he told him he was leaving for Morocco again.

Ripoll residents described the former imam to El País as a seclusive man who flew under the radar in a town of around 11,000 residents. He was most well-known for teaching the Moroccan dialect of Arabic to local children, and nothing in his mosque teachings suggested radical thinking or ties to terrorism, they said.

His alleged relationship with the young suspects from Ripoll may shed light on the psychology of terrorism and the importance of person-to-person interactions in recruiting young radicals. Studies have found that people may be drawn to commit acts of violence when they have friends or family sympathetic to a cause or encounter recruiters who romanticize a cause and promise a glamorous lifestyle.

Neighbors also said he liked to travel to Belgium and had previously mentioned a desire to move there. The mayor of Vilvoorde, a Belgian city regarded as a hotspot for Islamist militants, confirmed to Europa Press that Es Satty had spent time in the city last year between January and March.

This article has been updated to reflect that Es Satty is dead.

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Spain

People gather to mourn at Las Ramblas, a tree-lined street popular with tourists, where a van drove into a group of people in the deadly Barcelona attack Thursday.
People gather to mourn at Las Ramblas, a tree-lined street popular with tourists, where a van drove into a group of people in the deadly Barcelona attack Thursday.
People leave candles, flowers, messages, stuffed toys and many differents objects for the victims in Las Ramblas on Friday.
People leave candles, flowers, messages, stuffed toys and many differents objects for the victims in Las Ramblas on Friday.
A person places a candle on a placard, reading in Spanish and Catalan "Catalonia, place of peace". 
A person places a candle on a placard, reading in Spanish and Catalan "Catalonia, place of peace". 
People hold aloft written signs displaying Barcelona's name before observing a minute of silence.
People hold aloft written signs displaying Barcelona's name before observing a minute of silence.
People gather in Pla&ccedil;a de Catalunya<i>&nbsp;</i>to observe a minute's silence for the victims.
People gather in Plaça de Catalunya to observe a minute's silence for the victims.
A man reacts during&nbsp;a memorial at Las Ramblas.&nbsp;
A man reacts during a memorial at Las Ramblas. 
A woman lights a candle at the Canaletas fountain.
A woman lights a candle at the Canaletas fountain.
A couple walks past a graffiti message that reads, "United we are strong, we are all Barcelona" in the Spanish capital of Madrid on Friday.
A couple walks past a graffiti message that reads, "United we are strong, we are all Barcelona" in the Spanish capital of Madrid on Friday.
A woman cries as she observes a minute of silence in Puerta del Sol, Madrid, for the victims of Thursday's twin attacks in Spain.
A woman cries as she observes a minute of silence in Puerta del Sol, Madrid, for the victims of Thursday's twin attacks in Spain.

United States

The lights of New York City's One World Trade Center are lit in the colors of the Spanish flag.
The lights of New York City's One World Trade Center are lit in the colors of the Spanish flag.

France

The lights of the Eiffel Tower in Paris are switched off in solidarity.
The lights of the Eiffel Tower in Paris are switched off in solidarity.
A man brings a bunch of flowers at the Embassy of Spain in Paris.&nbsp;
A man brings a bunch of flowers at the Embassy of Spain in Paris. 
Staff members of the Embassy of Spain in Paris observe a minute of silence.&nbsp;
Staff members of the Embassy of Spain in Paris observe a minute of silence. 

Germany

A woman lays down flowers at the Spanish embassy in Berlin.&nbsp;
A woman lays down flowers at the Spanish embassy in Berlin. 
The Spanish and the European flag fly at half mast in Berlin.
The Spanish and the European flag fly at half mast in Berlin.

United Kingdom

Staff at the Spanish Embassy in London pause for a minute's silence.&nbsp;
Staff at the Spanish Embassy in London pause for a minute's silence. 
A Union flag flies at half-staff from the roof of the Elizabeth Tower, which houses the Big Ben bell, at the Palace of Westminster in London.
A Union flag flies at half-staff from the roof of the Elizabeth Tower, which houses the Big Ben bell, at the Palace of Westminster in London.
England and West Indies players during a minute of silence in Birmingham.&nbsp;
England and West Indies players during a minute of silence in Birmingham. 

Russia

People place flowers to pay tribute to the victims of the Barcelona attack, in front of the Spanish embassy in Moscow.&nbsp;
People place flowers to pay tribute to the victims of the Barcelona attack, in front of the Spanish embassy in Moscow. 
Flags of Spain and the European Union flying at half-mast outside the Embassy of Spain in Russia's capital.
Flags of Spain and the European Union flying at half-mast outside the Embassy of Spain in Russia's capital.
Yekaterinburg Mayor Yevgeny Roizman brings flowers to the Consulate of Spain.&nbsp;
Yekaterinburg Mayor Yevgeny Roizman brings flowers to the Consulate of Spain. 

Belgium

European Union flags are lowered at half-staff outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
European Union flags are lowered at half-staff outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.