A sexton was killed and a priest injured in a machete attack Wednesday night at a church in Algeciras, southern Spain. The Spanish authorities have opened an investigation for “terrorism” following this double attack, the alleged perpetrator of which was arrested.
“At 7 p.m., a man entered the church of San Isidro in Algeciras and attacked the priest, armed with a machete, seriously injuring him”detailed the Ministry of the Interior in a message to the press. “He then went to the Nuestra Señora de La Palma church where he attacked the sexton, after causing various damages”, the ministry added. These two churches are located within walking distance of each other in this town at the southern tip of Andalusia.
The sexton then “Managed to get out of the church but was caught outside by the assailant, who inflicted several fatal injuries on him”the ministry continued, adding that the assailant had been “immobilized and arrested” by the police. According to a spokeswoman for the emergency services, the priest was injured “in the neck” and hospitalized while the sexton died on the spot.
Emotions and convictions
According to a police source, the assailant was dressed in a djellaba and “shouted something” at the time of the attack. “The facts are analyzed and investigated. It is not possible at this time to determine the nature of the attack., assured for its part the Ministry of the Interior. The identity and nationality of the attacker have not been released by the authorities.
Condemnations came from all sides. Juanma Moreno, the president of the Andalusia region, described the attack as “terrible and unbearable” while the leader of the Popular Party, the main formation of the right-wing opposition, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, said he “dismayed”.
Jour
“These criminal acts tarnish the coexistence that our society has always enjoyed in Algeciras […] These wrongdoings have nothing to do with our religion or the Muslim community,” denounced for his part the local Muslim community on the Facebook account of the Ishbilia mosque in Seville, capital of the region.
The mayor of Algeciras declared a day of mourning and invited the inhabitants to gather to condemn this attack this Thursday at noon in front of the church near which the sexton was killed.
The latest attacks in Spain date back to August 2017. Two car ramming attacks by a jihadist cell left 16 dead and 140 injured on the famous avenue of the Ramblas in Barcelona and in the seaside resort of Catalonia, Cambrils. They had been claimed by the Islamic State organization.