US Warns of Possible Terror Threat in Barcelona

Catalan regional police officers Mossos d'Esquadra and Urban Guard police controls the entrance of the Ramblas boulevard in Barcelona on Dec. 24, 2018.

Police presence has increased in parts in the Spanish city of Barcelona following a warning from the U.S. State Department Monday of the risk of a terrorist attack during the holiday season.

Regional police heightened security, particularly around buses and public transport in the Las Ramblas area of Barcelona. Las Ramblas, a popular tourist destination, was the target of an attack claimed by Islamic State militants in August 2017 which left 14 people dead.

Spain's Interior Ministry said that the country's level of anti-terror alert remained at the second-highest, where it has been since 2015.