Spanish police raided the home of a Moroccan man who was arrested for machete attacks at two churches that killed a church worker and a seriously injured priest in the southern city of Algeciras.
Officers are still looking for the reason for the offensivebut a judge of the National Court is investigating a possible act of terrorism.
The suspect, identified as Yassine Kanjaa, 25, would have acted alone.
The police searched his home to “determine the nature, terrorist or otherwise”, of the attack, according to Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska.
The Interior Ministry said the suspect is a Moroccan citizen with no criminal record “in Spain or any other country”.
He added that the suspect had been under a deportation order since June last year due to his unauthorized migrant status in Spain.
Kanjaa had previously been arrested in neighboring Gibraltar, which is across a bay from Algeciras, in August 2019 when he tried to ‘disembark from a jet ski without the necessary documents’, the report said. authorities. He was expelled a few days later.
Wednesday night’s attacks rocked the multicultural city near the southern tip of Spain.
Witnesses claim that in the second incident, the attacker jumped onto the altar of the Nuestra Señora de La Palma church, brandishing a machete.
He then attacked a church worker who was preparing mass inside the church and chased him through a town square before killing him.
Previously, a priest was injured at the Church of San Isidro, a few minutes from Nuestra Señora de La Palma.
The injured priest, Antonio Rodriguez, is now back in his community after the ordeal.
Residents gather after a minute’s silence for a church sexton who was killed in Algeciras
Algeciras City Hall has identified the deceased church worker as Diego Valencia.
Another man who worked alongside Mr Valencia at the church, Manolo Gonzalez, said the suspect walked up to the altar and Mr Valencia came out “and demanded to know what was going on”.
Candles and flowers adorned the two small churches with whitewashed walls on Thursday, while flags were lowered to half-mast in Algeciras.
A minute of silence and a vigil were also observed by the community, including a large contingent of the city’s Moroccan population.
People light candles next to a memorial site during a vigil after the attack
The family of victim Mr. Valencia gathered inside Nuestra Señora de La Palma to receive condolences from Minister Mr. Grande-Marlaska and the residents concerned.
The cosmopolitan port city of Algeciras is the first point of arrival for many boats and ferries from North Africa, sparking government debates on irregular migration.
Spain’s Islamic Commission, which represents Muslims in the country, condemned the “abominable, murderous and heartless act” in “a sacred space for our Catholic brothers in Algeciras”.
