At least 1 dead in machete attack at southern Spain churches, sparking terrorism probe – National | 24CA News
Spanish authorities mentioned they have been investigating what they known as a attainable “terrorist” incident after a machete-wielding man attacked a number of individuals at two church buildings within the southern port metropolis of Algeciras, killing no less than one individual.
The man attacked clergymen at two completely different church buildings – San Isidro and Nuestra Senora de La Palma, round 300 metres (1,000 ft) aside – simply after 8pm on Wednesday night in downtown Algeciras, a spokesperson for town mentioned. A supply at Madrid’s High Court mentioned the incident was being investigated as terrorism.
Police mentioned the attacker had been arrested, and a police supply shared footage displaying two officers escorting a person in a hooded sports activities prime in handcuffs by means of a police station. Police haven’t launched particulars of his identify or nationality. Local media, together with El Pais newspaper, mentioned he was a 25-year-old Moroccan.
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The man who was killed was Diego Valencia, a sacristan on the Nuestra Senora de La Palma church, whereas the titular priest of the parish church of San Isidro, Antonio Rodriguez, was among the many injured and is in severe situation, the Algeciras metropolis spokesperson mentioned.
An unknown variety of others have been additionally injured. El Mundo newspaper reported that 4 individuals have been damage within the assault.
Police mentioned the suspect first entered the San Isidro church and attacked Rodriguez. An announcement by the Algeciras Salesians mentioned Rodriguez, 74, had been celebrating Eucharist when he was attacked.
The assailant then went into the Nuestra Senora de La Palma church the place he broken property earlier than attacking Valencia, who fled the church however was chased by the suspect, who inflicted additional, deadly accidents on him exterior, police mentioned in an announcement.
The parish priest at Nuestra Senora de La Palma, Juan Jose Marina, informed broadcaster SER the suspect went straight for Valencia after the mass had completed, suggesting he may need believed Valencia was the priest.
“Possibly, this death was meant for me and it found him instead,” mentioned a tearful Marina.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed his condolences to the victims of the “terrible attack” on his Twitter account, whereas the secretary common of Spain’s Episcopal Conference, Francisco Garcia, spoke of his “great pain” on listening to the news.
“These are sad times of suffering, we are united by the pain of the victims’ families and for the Cadiz Diocese,” he mentioned on Twitter.
Jose Ignacio Landaluce, the mayor of Algeciras, has declared a day of mourning within the metropolis for Thursday and a rally exterior Nuestra Senora de La Palma church at noon.
Earlier on Wednesday, two individuals have been killed and a number of other others injured when a 33-year-old stateless Palestinian man attacked them with a knife on a regional practice travelling between Kiel and Hamburg in northern Germany, authorities mentioned.
(Reporting by David Latona, Belén Carreño and Aislinn Laing; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
