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Barcelona terror attack caused by illegal migration, Hungarian diplomat says

According to the minister, "Europe must protect itself"

MOSCOW, August 18. /TASS/. The terrorist attack in Barcelona was the result of the flawed immigration policy pursued by the European Union, which opens borders instead of making them impregnable, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Friday.

According to the minister, "Europe must protect itself and guarantee Europeans’ security." To do so, it is necessary to make the Schengen Area borders impregnable and change the migration policy of officials in Brussels. "It is obvious to everyone that illegal migration and terrorism are interrelated," the minister told the MTI Hungarian news agency.

He expressed the confidence that the terror attack indicates the growing terrorist threat in Europe, which affects all countries on the continent. The Hungarian government will continue to take all necessary measures to restore security in Europe, protect its borders and contain the flow of illegal migrants, Szijjarto concluded.

According to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, a Hungarian citizen was injured in the Barcelona attack, her arm was broken. All necessary medical assistance was provided to her, and there is no immediate threat to the woman’s life.

On August 17, around 17:00 local time (18:00 Moscow time) a van drove into pedestrians in the La Rambla street area in downtown Barcelona. Police have classified the incident as a terrorist attack. The Islamic State terror group (outlawed in Russia) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Shortly afterwards, Catalonia’s police killed four terrorists in the city of Cambrils and arrested another who later died. They were trying to carry out an attack similar to the one in Barcelona. The two terrorist attacks - in Barcelona and in Cambrils - have claimed 14 lives, Catalonia’s authorities said on Friday.