A man entered two churches in Spain on Wednesday and killed a sacristan with a machete and injured four other people, including a priest, the Spanish Interior Ministry reported.
The attack in the port city of Algeciras (Cádiz)
is being investigated as a possible act of terrorism
.
Police detained a suspect of Moroccan origin identified as 25-year-old Yasine Kanjaa.
Police said the suspect first entered the
Santa Maria Auxiliador
parish and entered the San Isidro chapel, where he stabbed 74-year-old priest Antonio Rodríguez, who was celebrating the 7:00 p.m. mass.
The victim was seriously injured and is in a coma, according to the Spanish press.
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Moments later, the authorities said, the suspect went to the
Nuestra Señora de la Palma
parish , where he caused destruction and attacked the sacristan Siego Valencia with a machete, who died.
The state of health and the identities of the other three injured are unknown.
Exteriors of the Parish of San Isidro, in which the priest Antonio Rodríguez was stabbed, who has been seriously injured and is admitted to the EFE hospital
The suspect also went to the
Chapel of Europe
and knocked on the door to enter, but seeing that the church was closed, he left.
The newspaper El País assures, at least in the chapel of San Isidro, the suspect argued with the parishioners present there and told them that they should follow the Islamic religion.
Authorities think the attacker acted alone.
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The Spanish Episcopal Conference regretted the attack and called for solidarity with the families of the victims.
"As believers, we ask the God of mercy and peace to fill the hearts of the victims with hope and heal the wounded, accompany the Church and society in the search for peace and convert the hearts of violent people" .