Mourning and horror reign in Spain after a man armed with a machete killed a sexton and wounded four others in an attack on two Catholic churches in the port city of Algeciras on Wednesday night. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the armed attacker was under police surveillance for radicalization. The 25-year-old Moroccan was in Spain illegally and should have been deported.
It was initially said that the attacker was not known to authorities. According to media reports, the prosecutor’s office of the National Court does not rule out a terrorist background to the attack by the lone perpetrator. In an initial statement from the Diocese of Cadiz, local bishop Rafael Zornoza condemned the act of violence in the strongest possible terms and assured the victims and their families of his support, as reported by Kathpress.
“Reprehensible and heinous act”
The secretary-general of the Spanish bishops’ conference, Francisco Garcia, spoke on Thursday of a “reprehensible and heinous act”. The case is related to hatred of religion. At the same time, according to radio station Cope, Garcia warned not to “fall into provocations” or “throw fuel on the fire.” The police and judiciary should determine the exact background of the crime.
The pastor of Nuestra Senora de La Palma, Juan Jose Marina, told the SER television station that the attacker could have mistaken the sexton for the priest. “Maybe this death was meant for me and he hit him instead,” Marina said with tears in her eyes.
Muslim representation: attack was “insult to God”
The Secretary General of the Bishops’ Conference also explicitly referred to a statement by the Islamic Commission, ie the official representation of Muslims in Spain. They condemned the “murderous act” in Algeciras in the strongest possible terms, calling the vicious attack on “innocent believers in a holy place” an “insult to God”.
The perpetrator is said to have attacked and seriously injured a 74-year-old Salesian priest who was celebrating mass in the church of San Isidro in the center of Algeciras on Wednesday evening. Several believers who were present were able to flee.
Threw photographs, crucifixes and candles on the floor
According to police, the man then went to Nuestra Senora de La Palma church, just a few hundred meters away, where the evening mass may have just ended. According to witnesses, the gunman started throwing photos, crucifixes and candles on the ground. He then reportedly attacked sexton Diego Valencia, pursuing him into the forecourt of the church and fatally wounding him. According to information from the Cope broadcaster, the attacker was arrested by the police in a chapel, where he tried to hide.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
