Spanish authorities said they were probing what they called a possible “terrorist” incident after a knife-wielding man attacked several people at two churches in the southern port city of Algeciras, including at least At least one person died.
The man attacked two separate churches – San Isidro and Nuestra Señora de la Palma, about 300 meters (1,000 feet) apart – just after 8 p.m. on Wednesday, a city spokesman said. A source at Madrid’s High Court said the incident was being investigated as terrorism.
Police said the attacker has been arrested, and a police source shared footage showing two officers carrying a man in a hooded sports top in handcuffs through the police station. Police have not released details of his name or nationality. Local media, including El Pais newspaper, said he was a 25-year-old Moroccan.
The spokesman for the city of Algeciras said the person who died was Diego Valencia, a priest at the Nuestra Señora de la Palma church, while Antonio Rodríguez, the titular priest at the parish church of San Isidro, was among the injured and was in critical condition. Serious. ,
An unknown number of other people have also been injured. Al Mundo newspaper reported that four people were injured in the attack.
Police said the suspect first entered the San Isidro Church and attacked Rodriguez. A statement from the Algeciras Salesians said Rodriguez, 74, was celebrating the Eucharist when he was attacked.
The assailant then went to the Nuestra Señora de la Palma church where he damaged property before launching the attack ValenciaJoe fled the cathedral, but was pursued by the suspect, who inflicted fatal injuries on him outside, police said in a statement.
The parish priest of Nuestra Señora de la Palma, Juan José Marina, told broadcaster SER that the suspect headed straight for Valencia after the Mass ended, suggesting he may have believed Valencia was the priest.
“Perhaps, this death was meant for me and he got it instead,” said a tearful Marina.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his condolences to the victims of the “horrible attack” on his Twitter account, while Francisco García, secretary general of Spain’s Episcopal Conference, spoke of his “great pain” upon hearing the news.
“It is a sad time of suffering, we stand united in the pain of the families of the victims and of the Diocese of Cádiz,” he said on Twitter.
Algeciras Mayor Jose Ignacio Landlus announced a day of mourning in the city on Thursday and a rally outside the Nuestra Señora de la Palma church in the afternoon.
Earlier on Wednesday, two people were killed and several others injured after a 33-year-old headless Palestinian man was hit by attacked He was stabbed to death on a regional train traveling between Kiel and hamburg in the northern Germanyofficials said.
The text of this story is published from a wire agency feed without any modification.
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