He became the target of a knife attack on Saturday during mass in a Catholic church in Singapore the 57-year-old priest there. The attacker was pacified by believers, he is currently in the hands of the police. The priest was taken to the hospital, his condition is stable, AFP reported, writes TASR.
Singapore is one of the safest cities in Asia, and violent crimes such as stabbings or shootings are extremely rare, AFP noted. Meanwhile, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said in a Facebook post that he was “very shocked and saddened” by the incident. Violence has no place in Singapore, the prime minister wrote, calling for “the safety and sanctity of places of religious worship where people come for peace, solace and fellowship”.
Police said in a statement that based on preliminary investigations, they believe the man acted alone. The police added that for now, he does not suspect that it was a terrorist act.
The suspect is a 37-year-old member of the local Sinhalese community who recently started declaring himself a Christian. The attack took place in St. Joseph’s Church on the outskirts of the city-state of Singapore. The parish office there said in its statement that the masses on Sunday will be as usual.
