At least one person has been killed and several others injured in an attack carried out by someone with a bladed weapon at two churches in southern Spain.
A suspect has been arrested following the incident in the southern province of Cadiz, the interior ministry said in a statement.
Authorities are investigating the attack as suspected terrorism.
Spanish national police told Sky News that the person who was killed worked as a sacristan in the church, while a priest is also in serious condition.
The man, described by local media as wielding either a machete or a samurai sword, allegedly attacked churchgoers in San Lorenzo parish in Algeciras – a port city with links to Morocco.
The ministry said the victim was killed outside the church of San Isidro, while the other person was wounded inside the church.
The church of Nuestra Senora de La Palma, around 300 metres away, was also targeted.
“The facts are being investigated and analysed, but it is not yet possible to determine the nature of the attack,” the interior ministry said in a statement.
A police spokesperson said the incident is being investigated.
El Mundo newspaper reported that a total of four people had been injured in the attack.
Francisco García, the secretary general of Spain’s Episcopal Conference, tweeted: “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 Cadiz.”
