Monastery attacked by a mentally ill person. One monk was killed and seven others were injured

The incident happened on Saturday, when the attacker entered the monastery shouting “I am Jesus Christ!” and began assaulting the monks, going from cell to cell.

The most seriously injured, a 76-year-old monk who suffered severe head trauma, died in hospital in the afternoon. Of the other seven monks injured, three are elderly – 57, 66 and 95 years old respectively. Their current condition is stable, but doctors remain alert due to the victims’ advanced age, reports The Mirror.

“He entered the monastery with the clear intention to kill,” said the mayor of Gilet, Salvador Costa. Only two monks who were working in the monastery’s orchard at the time of the attack escaped unharmed.

The Spanish police have mobilized important law enforcement forces and are looking for the aggressor in the mountainous area around the monastery. Roadblocks have been set up in the region and police helicopters are flying over the area to find the attacker.

The management of the monastery announced that it will review security measures to prevent such incidents in the future. At the same time, she asked the community to pray “both for the victims of the attack and for the aggressor, to realize the gravity of his actions”.

The attack comes at an already difficult time for the Valencia region, which is still recovering from devastating floods that recently claimed more than 200 lives.

(source: AFP)