Yassine Kanjaa was arrested on Wednesday night after killing one and injuring another person with a machete. The attacks have been classified as alleged terrorist attacks.

The events occurred on the night of January 25 at around 7:30 pm local time in the port city of Algeciras in the Spanish community of Andalusia. Prosecutors have opened up a terror probe which is being led by the Audiencia Nacional, Spain’s top criminal court.

Also Read | Who is John Comaroff and why are Harvard students protesting against him?

Who is Yassine Kanjaa?

Yassine Kanjaa was born in 1997 in Morocco. Kanjaa lived on Calle Ruiz Tagle, a street adjacent to the San Isidro Church in Spain. His house is also four minutes away from the Nuestra Senora de la Palma Church.

According to reports by El Confidencial, the police arrested Kanjaa in June 2022 after discovering his illegal residence in Spain. Authorities reportedly started the process to return Kanjaa to Morocco last year, but he remained free. The reason for the delay is still not apparent. It has been claimed that the delay could have been done by the Moroccan authorities who needed to recognize Kanjaa as a citizen and issue him a passport.

Also Read | Who is Brenna Percy, Massachusetts preschool teacher fired for allegedly filming OnlyFans content in school?

On January 25, 2023, Kanjaa reportedly argued with worshippers at the San Isidro Roman Catholic Church. He returned to the church an hour later and stabbed the priest, Mr. Antonio Rodriguez in the neck.  Kanjaa then entered the church of Nuestra Senora de la Palma and destroyed crosses and religious images. He also attacked a church worker, who was identified as Diego Valencia. The sexton escaped but was then pursued by the attacker. He sustained fatal injuries, dying on the spot.

Kanjaa was disarmed by the police who arrived on the scene shortly after. He has been taken into custody. A police source claimed he was wearing a long robe and was ‘shouting something’ while carrying out the attack. Local reports said he ‘proclaimed Allah’s greatness’ following his arrest.