An investigation was opened for alleged acts of terrorism after this attack in two churches which also injured a priest.
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UA sexton was killed and several people injured, including a priest, in a stabbing attack on Wednesday evening (January 25th) at two churches in Algeciras, southern Spain, authorities said. The attack occurred “shortly before 8 p.m.” in the churches of San Isidro in Algeciras and Nuestra Señora in La Palma. The prosecution announced that an investigation was opened for alleged acts of terrorism.
” After 7 p.m., a man entered the Church of San Isidro in Algeciras and attacked the priest, armed with a machete, seriously injuring him »said 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 damage », the ministry added. The sexton then ” managed to get out of the church but was caught outside by the assailant, who inflicted several fatal wounds on him »the ministry continued, adding that the assailant had been ” immobilized and arrested » by the police.
These two churches are located within walking distance of each other in this town at the southern tip of Spain.
Of the ” alleged acts of terrorism »
On Twitter, the head of the Spanish government, socialist Pedro Sanchez, ” address [ses] deepest condolences to the relatives of the sacristan who died in the terrible attack on Algeciras » and desired ” a speedy recovery to the injured ». The police, who had initially mentioned a toll of several wounded, however now indicate that only the priest was injured in the attack. According to a spokeswoman for the emergency services, the priest was injured ” in the neck » and hospitalized while the sexton died on the spot.
The sacristan killed was called Diego Valencia and the priest Antonio Rodríguez, according to the mayor of Algeciras.
Contacted by AFP, the prosecution announced that an investigation had been opened for ” alleged acts of terrorism ». It will be conducted by a judge from the National Audience, the court responsible for terrorism cases. The Ministry of the Interior insisted on emphasizing that it was not ” not possible for the moment to determine the nature of the attack ».
The suspect had been in the process of deportation because of his irregular situation since June, the Spanish Interior Ministry said on Thursday. This 25-year-old Moroccan, who killed a sexton and seriously injured a priest, had “no criminal or terrorism history in Spain or in allied countries” and was not monitored by Spanish services, assured the ministry in a message to the press.
“Tterrible and unbearable »
In a video released by the police, we see him from behind, black pants and a black and white gray hoodie. Handcuffed, he walks in socks in a corridor, framed by two police officers. The mayor of Algeciras declared a day of mourning and invited residents to gather in a sign of ” rejection » of this attack Thursday at noon in front of the church near which the sexton was killed. Condemnations came from all sides, Juanma Moreno, president of the region of Andalusia, describing this attack as ” terrible and unbearable », while the leader of the People’s Party, the main formation of the right-wing opposition, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, said he ” appalled ».
” 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 its part the local Muslim community on the Facebook account of the Ishbilia mosque in Seville, capital of the region.
The last attacks in Spain date back to August 2017, when two attacks by a jihadist cell left 16 dead and 140 injured on the Ramblas avenue in Barcelona and in the seaside resort of Cambrils. They had been claimed by the Islamic State organization.