Man machete-wielding sexton kills priest in Spain

A machete-wielding man killed a sexton and wounded a priest in attacks on Wednesday in the Spanish city of Algeciras before being arrested, in what authorities are investigating as a possible act of terrorism.

The suspect was arrested and is in the custody of the national police of Spain. He was not identified by the ministry.

The attacks began around 7 pm when a man entered the San Isidro church and assaulted a priest who was seriously wounded.

The assailant went to a second church, the Nuestra Se ora de La Palma, a five-minute walk away, where he continued his rampage, assaulting the sexton. The sexton, whose job it is to take care of the church and its maintenance, fled outside where the attacker dealt him the mortal wounds in a public square.

The Algeciras town hall identified the sexton as Diego Valencia and the wounded priest as Antonio Rodr guez. Rodr Guez was in a stable condition and had been hospitalised, according to the town hall.

At least three other people have been wounded, according to local media.

Spain s national court said a judge had opened an investigation into a possible act of terrorism.

The interior ministry said the police were investigating the incident to determine the nature of the attack. It gave no further information on the attacker's possible motive.

Francisco Garc, secretary general of Spain's Episcopal Conference, wrote on Twitter : "I have received the news of the incident in Algeciras with great pain. He said these are sad moments of suffering and that we are united by the pain of the victims and the diocese of C diz.

Algeciras is located near the southernmost tip of Spain, across the bay from Gibraltar. It is home to an important port with ferry connections to northern Africa.

The town hall has declared a day of mourning, and flags will fly at half mast.

Mayor Jos Landaluce said that we are all stunned by these acts, which have filled us with pain. Algeciras has always been a city where concord and tolerance reign, despite incidents like this that create an image that does not correspond to reality.