Knifeman kills priest, injures four in attack at Polish abbey

A man armed with a knife killed a priest and injured four other people during an attack on clergy and worshippers at a ‌Benedictine abbey in southern Poland on Thursday, authorities said.

The man used a knife he took from a kitchen there to attack one woman and four men, including one priest who was in a confessional, a prosecutor said. The attack ‌took place at a Benedictine Sisters monastery on the grounds of the abbey in Jaroslaw, local media ‌reported.

A 31-year-old Ukrainian man was arrested, Bozena Harasz-Woloszyn from the District Prosecutor's Office in Przemysl said. "Three of the victims are clergy members and two are laypeople; one person has died... Two people are in a critical, life-threatening condition," she added.

The motives behind the attack ⁠were ​not immediately clear. Police said they ⁠were on the scene investigating the incident. "We are aware that Father Stanislaw has passed away and Father Marek is in serious ⁠condition. There are other casualties, but we do not have further details," Sister Barbara Dendor told state broadcaster TVP Info.

"When ​I arrived, there was total panic," she said. The mayor of Jaroslaw, Marcin Nazarewicz, told a ⁠press conference that a period of mourning was being declared until the end of the week.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki extended his condolences to the ⁠family ​of the priest who died, and wished the injured a quick recovery. "In the face of such acts, the state must be strong, act swiftly and relentlessly in enforcing the law," Nawrocki wrote on X. "The principles ⁠and values of our community must be respected by all those residing in our country."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ⁠called the crime "horrific". "We ⁠are shaken by this evil," he wrote on X. "We extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased. We wish all those injured a ‌speedy recovery."