A church worker has been killed and a priest injured in an attack at two churches in the port city of Algeciras, Spain, in what authorities are investigating as a possible act of terror.
The suspect was arrested in the southern city and is in the custody of Spain’s National Police but has yet to be formally identified. The attack began at around 7pm local time on Wednesday (January 25) when the armed man went into the San Isidro church and assaulted a priest, who was seriously injured, the ministry said. The assailant then went to a second church a five minute walk away - the Nuestra Senora de La Palma - where he entered and continued his rampage, assaulting the church worker, who was a sexton.
The sexton, whose job it is to take care of the church and its maintenance, fled outside where the attacker dealt him the fatal wounds in a public square, the ministry said. The Algeciras town hall said the sexton was named Diego Valencia and identified the wounded priest as Antonio Rodriguez. The town hall said he was admitted to hospital and was in a stable condition. Local media reported that at least three other people were injured. Spain’s National Court said a judge has opened an investigation into a possible act of terrorism.
