A man in Spain has declared himself to be Jesus after beating up seven monks in a religious rampage.
The attack took place at the Santo Espiritu del Monte Monastery, near Valencia, where the man is said to have used a historical artefact, a stick and a glass bottle to assault the monks.
Despite initial concerns, emergency services have confirmed that nobody has died.
Although there have been no fatalities, seven monks were injured, and one individual remains in critical condition in hospital.
The attack took place at the Santo Espiritu del Monte Monastery, near Valencia,
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Upon his entrance the man reportedly declared “I am Jesus Christ and I am going to kill the monks” with his ambush provoking an extensive search of the countryside around Valencia.
Local Spanish TV reported on the attack, with the man taking the staff from the statue of Saint Louis in the upper cloister and using it as a weapon in his assault.
Luckily, two members of the order escaped the ambush. One was sitting in the garden and one was taking mass.
A 76-year-old man was rushed to Valencia for treatment as he suffered severe head trauma and five others were also injured with bruises, cuts and trauma. The seven victims of the assault ranged in age from 57 to 95 years old. Three remain hospitalised.
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A manhunt was launched by Spanish Police
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A man has since been arrested on suspicion of executing this attack and is set to appear before the court today.
The local city council in Gilet confirmed this on X and went on to state that the attack was “atrocious”.
Concern spread throughout the community as the mayor himself went to visit the monastery this weekend to see what state they were in and if anything was needed.
The convent said they share in the suffering of the victims in a statement following the attack.
The statement read: "With the exception of Brother Antonio Ivars Solbes, who was in the garden and Brother Federico Allara Aragó, who was in the chaplaincy celebrating mass, the rest of the brothers have been violently attacked and we are worried.
"We also ask for the aggressor to be aware of the damage and be able to rectify behaviour that is not at all typical of the human condition," adds the statement, which asks the brothers "to be more attentive to prevent people from entering our fraternities that can cause damage of any kind, and thus know how to take care of each other."
