Spain: 1 dead in church machete attacks, terror link probed

Police work next to the body of a man killed in Algeciras, southern Spain. Photo / AP

A man wielding a machete killed a sexton and injured a priest in attacks at two churches in the city of Algeciras on Wednesday before being arrested, Spain’s interior ministry said, in what authorities are investigating as a possible act of terrorism.

The suspect was arrested in the southern city and is in the custody of Spain’s National Police. The ministry did not identify him.

The attack started when the armed man went into the San Isidro church and assaulted a priest, who was seriously injured, the ministry said. Local media said he is being treated in a hospital.

The assailant then went to a second church, the Nuestra Señora de La Palma, where he attacked and killed the sexton outside the building.

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.

Police are investigating the incident, the interior ministry said, to determine the “nature of the attack”. It offered no further detail on the attacker’s possible motive.

The secretary general of Spain’s Episcopal Conference, Francisco García, wrote on Twitter that “I have received the news of the incident in Algeciras with great pain.”

“These are sad moments of suffering, we are united by the pain of families of the victims and for the Diocese of Cádiz.”

Algeciras is located near the southern tip of Spain. It is home to an important port.