A monk has been beaten to death and seven others have been injured after an assault on a Spanish monastery.
The friar, 76, died in a Valencia hospital on Saturday afternoon after an intruder allegedly attacked him and other monks in their rooms at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit of the Mount in Gilet.
The attacker, a 46-year-old Spaniard who has since been detained by police, hit the men with a cane from a historic statue and shouted “I am Jesus Christ,” according to local media.
Witnesses said he also used a stick and a glass bottle to carry out the attack.
Seven other monks were injured in the shocking attack, and three clerics aged 57, 66 and 95 were taken to hospital, one of them reportedly in critical condition.
The friar, 76, died in a Valencia hospital on Saturday afternoon after an intruder allegedly attacked him and other monks in their rooms at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit of the Mount in Gilet (pictured).
The mayor of Gilet, Salvador Costa, told local press that the intruder had entered the building shouting “I am Jesus Christ” before beginning to physically attack the monks “with the intention of killing them.”
The man reportedly jumped over the monastery fence before going from room to room kicking and punching his victims; He is also said to have shouted that he was acting “in the name of God.”
He fled after being arrested by one of the clerics who came to the aid of his affected colleagues.
The man was on the run for almost 24 hours before being captured by police early Sunday morning. He is expected to appear in court on Monday.
A provincial superior said in a statement confirming the monk’s death: “It is with deep surprise and pain that we received the news this morning that a disturbed person had entered the Convent of Santo Espíritu del Monte.”
The alarm was raised around 10 a.m. on Saturday.
The man who died is said to have suffered head injuries. Only two monks working outdoors in an orchard escaped the attack.
A Civil Guard spokesman in Valencia said on Saturday: “I can confirm that a man has been killed following an attack on clergy at a monastery in Gilet this morning.”
Responding to questions about the number of people attacked after conflicting reports ranged from four to seven, he added: “The information we have is that another seven were attacked. Officers are still pursuing the attacker.
A well-placed source said: “Detectives believe the man who did this was suffering from mental health issues.”