The Spanish Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday, January 25, that a sexton and a priest were attacked by a man with a machete in two separate Catholic Church attacks in Algeciras, Spain.
The suspect, an undocumented Moroccan, 26 years old, was apprehended and is in custody. Police believe the incidents may have been related to terrorism.
The first attack occurred at around 7 pm at the church of San Isidro. The priest, Antonio Rodriguez, 74, was attacked by a man with a machete, and was seriously injured. He was celebrating the Holy Mass. The priest was reportedly in stable condition.
Later in the day, the attacker went to the nearby Nuestra Senora de La Palma church. He saw a sexton taking care of the church. He chased him and attacked him with the machete when he caught up with him at a public square. Diego Valencia was killed in the attack.
The parish priest at Nuestra Senora de La Palma, Juan Jose Marina, was emotional when he speculated that the attacker may have thought the sexton was a priest, realizing that it could have been him who was killed. “Possibly, this death was meant for me and it found him instead,” he said.
Three other people were stabbed in the attack.
Algeciras Mayor Jose Ignacio Landaluce declared Thursday a day of mourning in the town. A crowd gathered outside the Nuestra Senora de La Palma church.
