Dead and wounded in machete attacks in Spanish churches

An armed attacker killed an assistant with a machete and wounded four people in two Spanish churches. State television station RTVE and other Spanish media reported, citing police, that a priest was among the injured. The alleged attacker was arrested shortly thereafter. After the bloody crime in Algeciras, southern Spain, the Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened a preliminary investigation into the suspected terrorism, El Pais writes.

The suspect is 25 years old

The old man’s body was reportedly found in a public square in front of a church in the city of Andalusia. The suspect is a 25-year-old Moroccan. According to eyewitnesses, the man stormed into the San Isidro Church, shouting “God” and urging people to convert to Islam, El Diario newspaper reported. The priest who was present was wounded with a machete. Three women managed to escape from the church and reported it to the police from a nearby barbershop.

The perpetrator was previously convicted and known to the police

According to the report, the perpetrator then rushed to La Palma Church, just 200 meters away, where he threatened the clergy. The altar boy there opposed him and followed him into the street, where the assailant fatally wounded him, El Diario continued. Shortly thereafter, the alleged perpetrator was arrested by the police. He had no criminal record and was not known to the police.

The head of the government of the Autonomous Region of Andalusia, Juanma Moreno, condemned the crime on Twitter, but at the same time called for caution while “checking the facts”. “Intolerance will have no place in our society,” he stressed. The mayor of Algeciras, José Ignacio Landalos, said he was shocked and ordered a day of mourning in the city.