MADRID/BARCELONA: A suspect has been arrested in the stabbing of several people at a church in southern Spain, with at least one person killed, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday, in what authorities are investigating as a possible act of terrorism.
The man, who was described by some media as wielding either a machete or a samurai sword, allegedly attacked churchgoers in San Lorenzo parish in Algeciras, a port city in the southern province of Cadiz.
“The facts are being investigated and analyzed, but it is not yet possible to determine the nature of the attack,” the ministry said in a statement.
A police spokesperson declined to provide further details.
According to initial reports by local media, the parish priest was among the injured and is in serious condition.
El Mundo newspaper reported that four people had been injured in the attack.
The attacker was arrested and is in the custody of Spain’s National Police. The ministry did not identify the suspect.
Spain’s National Court said a judge has opened an investigation into a possible act of terrorism over the attack.
Police are investigating the incident, the interior ministry said, to determine the “nature of the attack.” It offered no further detail on the weapon that was used or 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,” he added.
Algeciras is located near the southern tip of Spain. It is home to an important port.
(With Reuters and AP)
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At least one dead, several injured in southern Spain church stabbing
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At least one dead, several injured in southern Spain church stabbing
- Spain’s interior ministry says attack carried out by a person with a bladed weapon
- Attacker has been arrested and is in custody of Spain’s National Police
Japan protests after a Chinese military aircraft locks its radar on Japanese jets
TOKYO: Japan said early Sunday that it has protested to China after a military jet that took off from the Chinese carrier Liaoning locked its radar on Japanese fighter jets near the southern island of Okinawa, the latest spat between the two countries whose ties have plunged recently over the Japanese leader’s Taiwan remarks.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said China’s military aircraft J-15 “intermittently” targeted its radar at Japanese F-15 fighter jets on two occasions Saturday — for about three minutes in the late afternoon and for about 30 minutes in the evening.
The radar lock by the Chinese aircraft was detected by different Japanese fighters that had scrambled against a possible airspace violation by China, according to the ministry. There was no breach of Japanese airspace, and no injury or damage was reported from the incident.
It was not known whether the radar lock incident involved the same Chinese J-15 both times.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, briefing reporters in the early hours of Sunday, said Japan protested to China over the radar lock, calling it “a dangerous act that exceeded the scope necessary for safe aircraft operations.”
“The occurrence of such an incident is extremely regrettable,” Koizumi said. “We have lodged a strong protest with the Chinese side and demanded strict preventive measures.”
There was no immediate comment from the Chinese government or military. On Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the Chinese navy operates in accordance with international law and that others shouldn’t hype up its activities.
The latest incident comes as relations between the two countries have worsened in recent weeks.
China was angered by a statement by Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in early November that its military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing says must come under its rule.
The aircraft carrier Liaoning on Saturday passed between the main island of Okinawa and nearby Miyako island as it conducted aircraft takeoff and landing exercises in the Pacific.
Japanese F-15 fighter jets, scrambled in case of an airspace violation, were pursuing the Chinese aircraft at a safe distance and did not involve actions that could be interpreted as provocation, Kyodo News agency said, quoting defense officials.
Fighter jets can use radars for search, or as fire control ahead of a missile launch.
It is believed to be the first instance of a radar lock involving Japanese and Chinese military aircraft. In 2013, a Chinese warship targeted a radar on a Japanese destroyer, Kyodo said.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, the Philippine coast guard said China fired three flares toward a fisheries bureau plane on patrol in the South China Sea on Saturday. Chinese forces fire flares to warn planes to move away from what they consider their airspace over the disputed waters.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said China’s military aircraft J-15 “intermittently” targeted its radar at Japanese F-15 fighter jets on two occasions Saturday — for about three minutes in the late afternoon and for about 30 minutes in the evening.
The radar lock by the Chinese aircraft was detected by different Japanese fighters that had scrambled against a possible airspace violation by China, according to the ministry. There was no breach of Japanese airspace, and no injury or damage was reported from the incident.
It was not known whether the radar lock incident involved the same Chinese J-15 both times.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, briefing reporters in the early hours of Sunday, said Japan protested to China over the radar lock, calling it “a dangerous act that exceeded the scope necessary for safe aircraft operations.”
“The occurrence of such an incident is extremely regrettable,” Koizumi said. “We have lodged a strong protest with the Chinese side and demanded strict preventive measures.”
There was no immediate comment from the Chinese government or military. On Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the Chinese navy operates in accordance with international law and that others shouldn’t hype up its activities.
The latest incident comes as relations between the two countries have worsened in recent weeks.
China was angered by a statement by Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in early November that its military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing says must come under its rule.
The aircraft carrier Liaoning on Saturday passed between the main island of Okinawa and nearby Miyako island as it conducted aircraft takeoff and landing exercises in the Pacific.
Japanese F-15 fighter jets, scrambled in case of an airspace violation, were pursuing the Chinese aircraft at a safe distance and did not involve actions that could be interpreted as provocation, Kyodo News agency said, quoting defense officials.
Fighter jets can use radars for search, or as fire control ahead of a missile launch.
It is believed to be the first instance of a radar lock involving Japanese and Chinese military aircraft. In 2013, a Chinese warship targeted a radar on a Japanese destroyer, Kyodo said.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, the Philippine coast guard said China fired three flares toward a fisheries bureau plane on patrol in the South China Sea on Saturday. Chinese forces fire flares to warn planes to move away from what they consider their airspace over the disputed waters.
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