Two worshippers and their knife-wielding attacker have been killed in a Mosque in South Africa Western Province early yesterday (Thursday).
Several other people sustained stab wounds before police shot and killed their assailant.
This attack at the Malmesbury Mosque comes at the end of the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan. In South Africa, Ramadan started with a worshipper being killed by having his throat slit at a Durban Mosque 1600 kms away.
Two other people were seriously injured in that attack.
Spokesman for the serious crimes investigation unit known as the Hawks Simphiwe Mhlongo says they’re treating that incident as a national security priority.
The Muslim Judicial Council says its deeply concerned that no arrests have been made and police appear to be no closer to finding the culprit.
The Shi’s Mosque was set alight after the attack and a bomb was found in the building three days later.
Western Cape Provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Andrè Traut says Malmesbury police were called out to the Mosque in the early hours of the morning and found two people stabbed to death and several injured.
As happened in Durban, the attacker prayed with the people before turning on them were them.
Fellow worshippers in Malmesbury say their attacker was a Somali as was one of his victims.
Police approached him as he walked out of the Mosque after attempting to behead one of his victims who was an old man.
They shot and killed him when he refused to lay down his knife.