Jihadist kills Christian with machete in Spanish church
ROME — A Moroccan illegal immigrant on Wednesday attacked Christians in two Spanish churches with a machete, killing one and injuring at least four others.
At around 7 p.m., the 26-year-old attacker entered the San Isidro church in Algeciras, southern Spain, where he tried to force the faithful present to convert to Islam, then attacked the priest with his machete, seriously injuring his neck. .
During the attack, the Islamist allegedly shouted “Allahu akbar” and “Death to Christians”.
An eyewitness, Jesús Torres, said he heard the screams and rushed to the church where he found Father Antonio Rodríguez, the parish priest, “lying face down with his head bleeding”.
Neighbors place candles and flowers as a sign of grief in Plaza Alta, Algeciras, where the lifeless body of a sexton fell after the attack on his church on January 26, 2023 in Algeciras, Spain. The attack on a 25-year-old Moroccan citizen in the Church of Nuestra Señora de La Palma and in the Church of San Isidro de Algeciras has left pain and dismay among his neighbors. (Nono Rico via Getty Images)
Following the first attack, the jihadist entered a second nearby church, Nuestra Señora de la Palma, while mass was being celebrated.
Upon entering, the man began destroying various sacred objects with his machete and continued to ascend the altar, where he was confronted by the sexton, Diego Valencia, who attempted to stop him.
The assailant responded by stabbing Valence in the abdomen. When Valence tried to flee and left the church, the assailant followed him and finished him off with a machete blow to the head.
According to the Spanish Interior Ministry, shortly after the attack, police disarmed and apprehended the attacker and he is currently in custody.
Investigators have identified the man as “Yassin K” and are treating the incident as terrorism-related. They are also trying to determine if the man was acting alone or as part of an Islamic terrorist organization.
A photographer records the memorials placed in Plaza Alta, Algeciras, where a sexton fell after the attack on his church on January 26, 2023 in Algeciras Cadiz, Spain. (Nono Rico via Getty Images)
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez shipped his “deepest condolences” to the family of the sacristan who died in this “terrible attack”.
For its part, the local Muslim community in Algeciras denounced the incident as a “brutal and vicious attack”.
Algeciras Mayor José Ignacio Landaluce accused the Interior Ministry of not deporting the man before the attack because he was known to be in Spain illegally but was not expelled from the country in because of “red tape”. ”
Landaluce insisted on the need to streamline bureaucracy “to be more efficient”.
Thomas D. Williams is Breitbart Rome’s Bureau Chief and author of Coming Christian Persecution.
Breitbart
