In the wake of a grisly attack on a Durban mosque last month, and a day before Eid, yet another mosque has become the scene of a bloody onslaught.
Two people were stabbed to death and others injured in a “brutal” attack at a mosque in Malmesbury in the Western Cape in the early hours of Thursday morning, reports Times LIVE.
Police arrived on the scene and shot dead a man at the mosque who charged at them with a knife.
The Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) released a statement on their Facebook page confirming the deaths:
We are shocked to learn of a brutal attack on the Malmesbury Masjied in Cape Town in the early hours of this morning.
We can confirm that two people have been killed whilst in I’tikaaf and another regular musallee of the Masjied was injured. We do not have any further details as yet but we urge the community not to jump to any conclusions until clarity can be given.
eNCA have also reached out to the MJC for more info, as seen in this video:
Western Cape police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Andrè Traut revealed what led to the shooting of the suspected attacker:
Malmesbury police were called out to a local mosque and found two people stabbed to death and several injured.
The suspect, believed to be in his thirties and armed with a knife, was still on the scene and charged at the police who tried to persuade him to hand himself over.
He ignored the calls and tried to attack police. He was shot and killed in the process. His death will be investigated by IPID
Lieutenant Colonel André Traut added that detectives are currently searching the crime scene for clues.
News24 have more details:
Fellow worshippers said there was no warning that the suspect, believed to be a foreign national in his 30s, was about to commit the violent crime.
“There was an old man and he tried to cut the old man’s head off and the man died. Other people went to the Swartand hospital,” said Durant from the scene.
“This guy was not in a hurry – he was very calm – he did not run, he walked away. He had a big Rambo knife.”
It’s too soon to say if this latest attack is connected to attack in Durban. Whatever the case may be, these atrocities can’t be allowed to continue.
Condolences to those who have been affected.
