A knife attack at a Catholic monastery in southern Poland has left one person dead and four others injured. The assailant, a 31-year-old Ukrainian national, went on a stabbing spree at the 17th-century Benedictine abbey in Jaroslaw, about 30km from the Ukrainian border, on Thursday morning, according to police.

The suspect had entered Poland from Germany earlier that day. He reportedly grabbed a knife from the abbey’s kitchen and attacked four men and one woman, including a priest in a confessional. “Three of the victims are clergy members and two are laypeople; one person has died,” said prosecutor Bozena Harasz-Wołoszyn. Two others are in “critical, life-threatening condition”. Polish media identified the deceased as a priest, though police have not officially confirmed the identity.

Prosecutors stated that the attacker was initially headed for a nearby border crossing back into Ukraine but instead went to the abbey. The motive remains unclear, and doctors will assess whether he was under the influence of alcohol, Harasz-Wołoszyn added.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the “murderer” would be “punished with the full severity of Polish law”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack a “horrific crime”, adding: “The perpetrator of this evil must bear full responsibility in accordance with the law … We are shaken by this evil. Justice must be done.” The mayor of Jaroslaw, Marcin Nazarewicz, declared a period of mourning until the end of the week.

Stabbings, particularly at religious sites, are extremely rare in Poland, one of Europe’s most Catholic countries. The incident is likely to spark intense debate over security and immigration in the nation.

Source: www.aljazeera.com