The attacker has been detained by the National Police of Spain after being apprehended.
A guy with a machete invaded two churches in southern Spain late on Wednesday, killing a church official and badly injuring a priest, according to the government.
Prosecutors launched a terror investigation into the attack as soon as it happened in the port city of Algeciras in southern Andalusia, Spain.
An interior ministry statement stated that “just after 7:00 p.m. (1800 GMT) this evening, a man entered the church of San Isidro in Algeciras, where, armed with a machete, he attacked the priest, leaving him badly wounded.”
He then went inside the church of Nuestra Senora de La Palma, where he damaged the building before attacking the verger. The statement indicated that the verger had passed away immediately. It read, “The verger managed to escape the church but was grabbed by the assailant outside and incurred lethal injuries.”
“Not long after that, (the attacker) was taken hostage and disarmed by police, who then arrested him.”
The two churches are situated a short distance from the harbor, a distance of a few hundred meters.
The emergency services confirmed the priest had suffered injuries “to the neck,” despite the police’s original claim that other individuals had been hurt. Later, the police emphasized that just the priest had been hurt.
The deceased verger’s name was Diego Valencia, according to the mayor of Algeciras, who also gave the priest’s name as Antonio Rodriguez.
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Rodriguez, 74, was attacked while celebrating the Eucharist at San Isidro church, according to a tweet from the local parish, which said that his condition was “serious but stable.”
A police source told AFP the attacker was wearing a long robe and had “yelled something” while he carried out the attack. – The attacker shouted and flung icons.
Local media was informed by witnesses at Nuestra Senora de La Palma that a guy entered the structure at around 7:30 p.m., just as they were concluding the Eucharist service. They said that he was yelling and had started throwing things on the ground, like crosses, candles, and icons.
A judge from Spain’s highest criminal court, the Audiencia Nacional, which deals with terrorism cases, is in charge of the counterterrorism investigation.
The police did not release the name of the suspect, but they did release a video showing him being led away in handcuffs by two officers while donning a black, white, and grey hoodie and black pants.
Flags will be flown at half-staff on Thursday as part of an official day of mourning, according to the Algeciras town hall. At noon, there would be a protest to show opposition to the bloodshed.
People from all political backgrounds swiftly denounced the incident.
“Reprehensible deeds,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Twitter, adding, “I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims who were killed in this horrific attack, and I wish the injured a speedy recovery.”
Right-wing Popular Party opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo expressed his “appalling” about the occurrence.
The police have not said anything about the perpetrator’s goals or political or religious views.
The Muslim community in the area, on the other hand, condemned the act and said they were sorry for the verger’s death. They called the attack in Algeciras “savage and vicious.”
In a Facebook post, the Ishbilia mosque in Seville, the region’s capital, said that “these criminal acts, which some want to attach to Islam or Muslims, degrade the coexistence that society in Algeciras has historically enjoyed.”
“Our religion and the Muslim community are removed from these repugnant deeds.”
