At least one dead after horror Spain machete rampage…

At least one dead after horror Spain machete rampage as police probe terrorist attack

A church custodian has been killed and a priest injured in separate suspected terror attacks in the Spanish southern port city of Algeciras.

A man wearing an Arabic robe is said to have entered one of the Roman Catholic churches targeted with a large machete and begun hitting objects including crosses and candles before stabbing his victim in the neck when he tried to stop him.

The fatal attack occurred after a sexton asked the man to leave a second temple where he had repeated the same behaviour and was chased into the street and attacked.

Police confirmed on Wednesday night they had arrested a suspect, thought to be a man of North African origin aged around 40.

There were unconfirmed reports another three people had been hurt and at least one other church in Algeciras had been targeted.

The injured man is said to be serious in hospital.

The sexton who was killed outside nearby La Palma Church has been named locally.

Local reports said prosecutors were investigating the incident as a terrorist attack.

Social media footage showed a man walking across a pedestrian street with the suspected murder weapon in his hands moments before the arrest took place around 7.30pm on Wednesday.

A Spanish woman could be overheard saying: “My God, people are mad. The man you can see there he is carrying an axe in his hand and has just hit someone over the head with it and left him on the ground.”

Several police were filmed marching the man under arrest to a patrol car before taking him away.

If it is confirmed it is a terrorist attack, the suspect will be put before a judge at the Audiencia Nacional court in Madrid which deals with all incidents in Spain of this kind.

Another local named only as Manuel who witnessed one of the attacks told a Spanish radio station: “It’s a miracle there wasn’t a massacre.

“It all happened very quickly. This person tried to attack others.”

Juanma Moreno, the regional president of Spain’s southern Andalucia region which Algeciras is part of, tweeted: “Terrible and gut-wrenching.

“They’ve killed a sexton and injured, at least, a priest in an attack in Algeciras. It is still under investigation but I condemn this crime. Intolerance will never be accepted in our society.”

Spanish police union Jupol tweeted: “Everything appears to indicate a jihadist terrorist attack has occurred in Algeciras.

“A church sexton has been murdered and others have been injured. An arrest has taken place.”

Civil Guard union association AUGC tweeted: “One dead and another seriously injured in a jihadist attack in Algeciras against several churches.