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One person was killed and four others wounded when a knife-wielding man attacked clergy members and worshippers at a Catholic monastery in southern Poland, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters.
Police said the 31-year-old suspect, a Ukrainian national, carried out the attack at a 17th-century Benedictine abbey in Jaroslaw, about 30 kilometres from the border with Ukraine, on Thursday morning.
Authorities said the man had entered Poland from Germany earlier that day. He allegedly took a knife from the abbey’s kitchen and attacked four men and one woman, including a priest inside a confessional.
“Three of the victims are clergy members and two are laypeople; one person has died,” prosecutor Bozena Harasz-Wołoszyn said. Two of the injured people were in critical, life-threatening condition.
Polish media reported that the person killed was a priest, although police had not immediately confirmed the victim’s identity.
Suspect detained after attack
Prosecutors said the suspect had been heading towards a nearby border crossing to return to Ukraine but went to the abbey instead. He was detained after the attack.
The motive was not immediately known. Harasz-Wołoszyn said doctors would assess whether the suspect had been under the influence of alcohol.
Leaders condemn the violence
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the “murderer” would be punished with the full force of Polish law.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the incident as a “horrific crime” and said the perpetrator must face full legal responsibility.
“We are shaken by this evil. Justice must be done,” Zelenskyy said.
Jaroslaw Mayor Marcin Nazarewicz declared a period of mourning until the end of the week.
Knife attacks, particularly at religious sites, are extremely rare in Poland, one of Europe’s most Catholic countries.
