A sacristan was killed and several people injured, including a priest, in a “stabbing” attack on Wednesday night, shortly before 8:00 p.m., in the southern Spanish city of Algeciras.
• A murdered sacristan
It is around 6:30 p.m. when a man dressed in a black djellaba goes to the church of San Isidro, in the center of Algeciras, calling on the faithful to convert to Islam. Less than an hour later, according to the authorities, he returned to this church, this time armed with a machete, and attacked the priest, seriously injuring him.
Facts supported by a video captured by witnesses, and disseminated by the newspaper The country, in which the man can be seen walking through the streets of the city, armed with what appears to be a machete.
The man then goes to the church of Nuestra Señora de La Palma, a few minutes’ walk from the first church, where he attacks the sacristan after causing various damage to the altar and other objects of worship.
The sacristan manages to get out of the church, but is caught outside by the assailant, who inflicts several fatal wounds on him. At least three other people were beaten, including outside the church.
After this attack, the alleged perpetrator tried to hide in a chapel, before being “immobilized” and “arrested” by the police, the Spanish Ministry of the Interior reported. According to various Spanish media, including the national newspaper The countrythe attacker is said to be a 25-year-old Moroccan man.
• An open investigation
“The facts are analyzed and are the subject of an investigation. It is not possible for the moment to determine the nature of the attack,” said the Ministry of the Interior.
The prosecution announced for its part that an investigation had been opened for “alleged acts of terrorism.” It will be conducted by a judge from the National Court, the court in charge of terrorism cases.
• Wave of reactions
Juanma Moreno, president of the Junta de Andalucía, described the attack as “terrible and unbearable.”
“We murdered a sacristan and injured at least one priest,” he denounced, while asking for “caution” while “an investigation is carried out.”
The leader of the Popular Party, the main formation of the right-wing opposition, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, said he was “appalled by the attacks committed this afternoon in Algeciras.”
The latest attacks carried out in Spain date back to August 2017, when two attacks by a jihadist cell left 16 dead and 140 injured on Avenida des Ramblas in Barcelona and in the coastal town of Cambrils. They had been claimed by the Islamic State organization. The three survivors of this cell had been sentenced to eight, 46 and 53 years in prison.
Source: BFM TV
