A priest has been killed and seven others injured in a horrific attack at a monastery in Valencia, Spain.
The assailant, who remains on the loose, reportedly shouted “I am Jesus Christ” as he entered the Santo Espiritu del Monte Monastery early this morning.
The attacker, who is said to have jumped over the monastery’s perimeter fence, began assaulting the monks in their rooms one by one.
Three of the monks, aged 57, 66, and 95, have been hospitalised with injuries. Four others were also attacked, though it remains unclear if they are receiving hospital treatment.
The priest who died is believed to have suffered fatal head injuries during the assault. The monastery, located in Gilet, a town around 35 minutes north of Valencia, is still reeling from the effects of severe flooding that recently claimed over 200 lives in the region.
Local police are actively searching for the assailant in the mountains near the monastery.
According to Gilet’s mayor, Salvador Costa, the attacker entered the building shouting “I am Jesus Christ” before launching the violent assault on the monks, seemingly to kill.
A provincial superior issued a statement confirming the death, expressing shock and sorrow over the incident. “It was with deep surprise and pain that we received the news this morning that a disturbed person had entered the Friary of Santo Espiritu del Monte,” the statement read.
The attack was discovered around 10 a.m., and the alarm was raised soon after.
Two monks who were working outside in an orchard at the time of the assault were the only ones to escape the violence. The community, still reeling from the tragedy, is now left to cope with the aftermath of the shocking event.
