Priest stabbed in St Joseph's Church in Singapore
09/11/2024
SINGAPORE: A priest was injured in a knife attack during mass at St Joseph's Church in Bukit Timah on Saturday evening.
Singapore's Minister of Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam said the priest had been taken to hospital and was in a stable condition.
He said the suspect, a 37-year-old local Singhalese man, was arrested by the police.
According to him, the attacker had previously declared his religion as Christian to the Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA).
"The investigation is ongoing," he said in a post on Facebook.
Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore identified the victim as Christopher Lee, a priest at St Joseph's Church.
In a statement issued by the Archbishop's Office of Communications, the Church stated that Lee was attacked by a man armed with a knife while celebrating mass at 5.30pm.
The church informed that Lee was taken to the National University Hospital by Singapore Civil Defense Force paramedics and is receiving treatment.
The church urged the public to remain calm and avoid speculation on social media while police investigate.
"The church does not condone any form of violence. We also ask for prayers for Lee's speedy recovery, for the attackers, and for all those present during the mass, especially the children who may have been affected by this incident," according to the statement.
Meanwhile, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) informed that they received a call for help at about 6.30pm.
The weapon used by the suspect, who has a past criminal record of seriously injuring people and drug-related offenses was successfully confiscated by members of the congregation and the suspect was later arrested by police officers.
Police said based on preliminary investigations, the man is believed to have acted alone.
"So far, the police do not suspect that this is an act of terrorism," according to the statement.
The public is asked to remain calm and not speculate while investigations continue to determine the motive behind the incident.
