Man Stabs 2 to Death, Injures Others at South African Mosque

Ololade Adeyanju/

A man stabbed to death two worshippers at a mosque in South Africa moments after praying with them.

The assailant also injured several people in the attack in the town of Malmesbury near Cape Town, early today, before he was shot dead by the police.

The attack comes in the finals days of the holy month of Ramadan.

Police revealed how the suspect was praying at the mosque at around 3am. when he got up and began stabbing people.

“As people got themselves ready to pray, the suspect just got up and started stabbing the people. He was praying with them,” Malmesbury Police Constable Henry Durant told News24.

One of the dead was named as 74-year-old Ismail Bassa.

Noliyoso Rwexana, spokesperson for the Western Cape police, said Malmesbury police were invited to a local mosque and found two people dead with stab wounds and several people injured.

“The suspect believed to be in his thirties and armed with a knife 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 dead,” Rwexana said.

Rwexana said police are now “combing the scene for clues”.

The motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

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