UPDATE 1-Police detain two Algerians in anti-terrorism operation in Barcelona

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BARCELONA, July 14 (Reuters) - Police detained two Algerian citizens in an anti-terrorism operation in Spain's second largest city Barcelona on Tuesday morning, the regional Catalan police force said.

The two Algerians were preparing a terror attack, Spanish radio station Cadena Ser reported, quoting unidentified sources close to the investigation. Regional police declined to comment on this.

In May, police had arrested a Moroccan man in Barcelona with suspected links to Islamic State who they believed was planning a militant attack.

A total of 16 suspected jihadist fighters have been arrested in Spain from the start of the year til July 5th, according to data from the interior ministry.

Islamist militants used a van to hit pedestrians in Barcelona's Las Ramblas boulevard in August 2017 and carried out a follow-up attack in another Catalan municipality, killing 16 people in total. (Reporting by Inti Landauro, Emma Pinedo and Joan Faus Editing by Ingrid Melander)