Barcelona woke up grieving yesterday, but the Catalan capital also put on a brave face, according to a Maltese tourist holidaying in the city.

Phil Saliba, who is in Barcelona with his girlfriend, spoke of an atmosphere marked by tension, grief and defiance when contacted by the Times of Malta yesterday.

“There are police and soldiers everywhere while people gather at the spots were the victims died to place candles and mourn,” he told this newspaper from his hotel room.

On Thursday, 13 people were killed and scores of others were injured in a terrorist attack that involved a van driver zigzagging along the famous tourist boulevard Las Ramblas.

WATCH: Barcelona attacker may still be on the run, police say

Mr Saliba said Barcelona seemed like a safe place to holiday and the attack did shock him but the couple would not let the terrorist attack change their plans.

“We decided to stick to the original plan and visit Las Ramblas and the cathedral [yesterday] and while obviously keeping on the lookout, we felt the attack should not disrupt our holiday,” he said.

The news Catalonia is a jihadi hotbed comes as a surprise

The same sense of defiance was on display yesterday at a commemoration ceremony for the victims at Las Ramblas which was attended by King Felipe VI and Spanish officials.

The Maltese couple witnessed the event, marked by a minute of silence and followed by spontaneous applause and chants of “We are not afraid”.

“People walked out of their offices and joined the crowd,” Mr Saliba said.

Spain is conducting a manhunt for Moussa Oukabir, 18, suspected of involvement in the Barcelona attack.

Police officials have described Barcelona as a hotbed for Muslim radicalisation, something which caught many by surprise, not least Maltese resident Joe Fountain.

Mr Fountain lives between London and Barcelona and was about to depart on holiday with his partner from the Spanish city when Thursday’s attack happened. He described the scene as chaotic in the lively city as people everywhere were messaging and phoning each other to check on friends and family.

The attack came at a peak time of day, when bathers would be returning from the beach and others would be heading down to the pedestrian area for a drink, he added.

“Like what happens each time there is an attack like this, it leaves you vulnerable and the news that Catalonia is a jihadi hotbed comes as a surprise to many in a holiday city, but maybe we were all looking the other way,” Mr Fountain said.

With his other home, London, also having experienced similar terrorist attacks, Mr Fountain fears that the tension he feels in the British capital will now accompany him on his return to Barcelona on September 1.

“Nobody seems to have been prepared for it and it freaks you out, but I am also angered by the stupid backlash that tries to tar all Muslims with the same brush,” Mr Fountain said.

No Maltese were reported injured in the Barcelona attack.