Police have evacuated the Sagrada Familia cathedral Tuesday in Barcelona as part of an anti-terrorism operation.

Police tweeted which streets and train stations were being closed as part of the operation. Mossos Police also said they have “evicted” shops and businesses at the cathedral.

ABC Catalonia reported that police received a warning prompting the evacuation of the cathedral.

RT News reported that a bomb squad has been deployed to investigate a suspicious vehicle near the church.

The operation comes before the start of a soccer game between Barcelona and Juventus.

Last month, a van rammed into a crowd of pedestrians in Las Ramblas, Madrid, killing at least 13 people and injuring dozens of others. Later, another attack was carried out in the Spanish resort town of Cambrils, where at least one person was killed. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks. Spain has remained on a high terror alert following the attacks. </s> Police in Barcelona have sent a bomb squad to check a van parked by the Sagrada Familia church.

They’ve evacuated the famous tourist site as well as nearby shops as part of an anti-terror operation.

The huge unfinished building is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the city.

More as we get it ... </s> Police in Barcelona say explosives experts are checking a van in the surroundings of the landmark Sagrada Familia cathedral in what they are describing as an anti-terrorism operation.

A spokesman with the Mossos d'Esquadra regional police said the church has been evacuated and several streets cordoned off to allow police work in the area.

The spokesman declined to be identified by name, following the force's protocol.

Barcelona, a tourism hub in northeast Spain's Catalonia region, and a nearby coastal town were targets of extremist attacks that killed 16 people last month. The Islamic State claimed the attacks.

Spain has kept its anti-terrorism security warning one level below the maximum since mid-2015. </s> Police in Barcelona on Tuesday said explosives experts are checking a van near the Sagrada Familia cathedral in what they are describing as an anti-terrorism operation.

A spokesperson with the Mossos d'Esquadra regional police said the church has been evacuated and several streets cordoned off.

The spokesperson declined to be identified by name, following the force's protocol.

Barcelona, a tourism hub in northeast Spain's Catalonia region, and a nearby coastal town were targets of extremist attacks that killed 16 people last month. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Spain has kept its anti-terrorism security warning one level below the maximum since mid-2015. </s> Police have evacuated tourists from the area around Barcelona's Sagrada Familia church as part of an anti-terror operation.

The nearest tube station has been closed and locals and holidaymakers ordered away from cafe and bar terraces and told to take refuge inside premises.

Specialist bomb disposal experts have been sent to the area to check a van, police said.

Several roads have also been closed. The area has been cordoned off as police rush to investigate.

The drama is understood to have been sparked by a suspicious package inside a van.

Regional Mossos d'Esquadra police tweeted in a message partly directed at those immediately affected: 'We are making checks around the Sagrada Familia as part of an anti-terror operation and have cordoned off the area. Follow the instructions of police.'

The Sagrada Familia, one of Barcelona's most popular tourist attractions, was the intended target of the terrorists who carried out last month's atrocity in the city's famous Ramblas and the seaside resort of Cambrils.

It comes less than a month after 13 people were murdered and 130 hurt in the city's Las Ramblas when a jihadist drove a van into pedestrians on the street.

Five men then drove into pedestrians in nearby Cambrils, murdering one woman and hurting six others before being shot dead by police.

It later emerged that the terrorists were plotting to detonate vans loaded with gas canisters into popular tourist destinations in Barcelona - including the Sagrada Familia.

Catalan police said today they were evacuating the holy site and nearby businesses as part of an anti-terrorism operation.

They said earlier on Twitter they had cordoned off the site.

Spain has kept its anti-terrorism security warning one level below the maximum since mid-2015. </s> Catalan police said on Tuesday they had cordoned off the Sagrada Familia church, a famous tourist site in Barcelona, as part of an anti-terrorism operation.

MADRID: Catalan police said on Tuesday they had cordoned off the Sagrada Familia church, a famous tourist site in Barcelona, as part of an anti-terrorism operation.

Police said on Twitter they were conducting checks at the site. </s> Police in Barcelona say explosives experts are checking a van in the surroundings of the landmark Sagrada Familia cathedral in what they are describing as an anti-terrorism operation </s> MADRID (AP) — Police in Barcelona said a false alarm involving a suspicious van prompted the evacuation of the landmark Sagrada Familia basilica and its surroundings Tuesday evening.

A spokesman with the Mossos d’Esquadra regional police said the sight of two occupants in the van near the church had raised the alarm of a possible extremist threat, but a bomb squad that searched the vehicle didn’t find any explosives.

The spokesman declined to be identified by name, following the force’s protocol.

Barcelona, a tourism hub in northeast Spain’s Catalonia region, and a nearby coastal town were targets of extremist attacks that killed 16 people last month.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the van attack in Barcelona’s Las Ramblas district and the vehicle and knife attack in the coastal town of Cambrils.

In addition, eight members of an extremist cell died or were shot dead by police and two more jailed under preliminary charges of terrorism.

One of the survivors told the judge a judge that the cell’s initial plan was to strike monuments and churches in Barcelona.

Spain has kept its anti-terrorism security warning one level below the maximum since mid-2015. </s> Barcelona's Sagrada Familia church and nearby shops have been evacuated in a police anti-terrorism operation.

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Spanish police have arrested a man after he attempted to enter a popular tourist landmark with a suitcase filled with ammunition.

The major security alert took place Barcelona's Sagrada Familia basilica earlier on Sunday.

The incident comes just days after police stepped up security in the city amidst fears that a Christmas attack was being planned.

The Mossos d'Esquadra have arrested a French citizen as he tried to enter the temple with five magazines for a nine-millimetre gun in a suitcase or backpack.

Security officers stopped him as he went through metal detectors. It is understood no gun was found though there are reports a weapon was discovered in a nearby car.

(Image: REUTERS)

The man is claiming he was invited to a private mass after going out for shooting practice and had "forgotten" he was still carrying ammunition.

He says he is a French soldier but this has yet to be verified.

Officers with the Catalan police have arrested him for illegal possession of arms.

Spanish newspapers say the ammunition was detected inside a suitcase when the detainee crossed the security arch that protects the monument.

The Mossos d'Esquadra have initiated an investigation to clarify the facts. Police sources say the detainee is collaborating and that they do not believe that he intended to carry out an attack on the Sagrada Familia

This incident comes after the Catalan police reinforced surveillance and spot checks in crowded areas of Barcelona for fear of a possible terrorist threat during the Christmas holidays.

The security forces maintain the anti-terrorist alert at level 4 out of 5.
The Sagrada Família basilica in Barcelona is evacuated due to an anti-terrorism operation.