Several
people are reportedly injured, one seriously, after two men stormed the
four-star Hotel Silken Ramblas.
The
violence followed an attempt to rob a foreign tourist and involved an
undercover police officer.
The
gun-toting assailants shot at guests then fled, with one victim injured by
falling glass, local reports said.
As
the horror unfolded one victim tried to crawl to safety through a hotel
emergency exit.
A
manhunt is now underway across the city.
One
man was understood to have hidden in a supermarket which was put on lockdown,
but he fled before police could find him.
He
was later arrested at an undisclosed location.
The
second suspect escaped towards the nearby Raval area of the city, where
officers are still hunting him.
A
souvenir shop near to the hotel has also been cordoned off.
The
hotel did not comment on the incident, but a receptionist said: “A receptionist
said: “We’ve got a tremendous mess here at the moment and no-one can speak to
you.”The
regional Mosses d’Esquadra police force are yet to make an official statement.
By Gerard Couzens and Helen Barnett