CNN under fire for linking Barcelona terrorist attack to Charlottesville

CNN suggested Thursday that the terrorist attack in Barcelona, Spain, may have been inspired by the violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., because both involved a vehicle running down pedestrians.

The claim has drawn criticism because vehicle-ramming has been used before by Islamic extremists to carry out terrorist attacks. Investigators have not drawn any links between the incidents in Barcelona and Charlottesville.

“In light of the uproar of the last several days, five days apart you have a white supremacist use a vehicle to kill and here you have attackers at least following the modus operandi of terrorists, apparently using vehicles to kill as well, and those shared tactics should be alarming,” CNN chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto said on air.

{mosads}CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer responded: “There will be questions about copycats, questions about if not what happened in Barcelona was at all, at all, a copycat version of what happened in Charlottesville, Va. Even though they may be different characters, different political ambitions, they used the same killing device — a vehicle going at high speed into a group, a large group, of pedestrians.”

A man with ties to white nationalist groups in the U.S. has been arrested for allegedly driving his car through anti-racist protesters in Charlottesville following a rally organized by white supremacist groups over the weekend. One woman died in the attack.

On Thursday, at least 13 people were killed and scores more wounded when a van ran into pedestrians on a crowded city street in Barcelona.

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the Barcelona attack, as it has for similar vehicle-ramming incidents in London and Berlin over the course of the last year.

The New York Times reporter covering ISIS noted that vehicle-ramming is one of the group’s calling cards.

4. The mode of attack, according to reporters at the scene, includes stabbing and car-ramming, both ISIS signatures. More channel chatter: pic.twitter.com/cGjSwemAGH

— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) March 22, 2017

Conservatives ripped CNN for linking the two incidents and said it was further evidence of the network’s liberal bias. President Trump has often criticized CNN as “fake news.”

WHAT?! “CNN: There Will Be Questions About Whether Barcelona Attack Was ‘Copycat’ of Charlottesville” https://t.co/Yp0J6zN61m

— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) August 17, 2017

.@wolfblitzer: “Is Barcelona a copycat of Charlottesville?”

This. Is. Why. CNN. Is. Fake. News.@CNN sucks. https://t.co/MxZi5VBaxL

— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) August 17, 2017

CNN has not responded to a request for comment.