A knife attack at a Benedictine abbey in Jarosław has left a Catholic priest dead and several people wounded, and Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has said the Ukrainian citizen behind the crime must bear full responsibility.
The violence broke out on Thursday at about 9:30 in the morning, on the grounds of the Benedictine Sisters’ Monastery on Benedyktyńska Street in Jarosław, a town in the Podkarpackie region.
– A 31-year-old Ukrainian citizen attacked four men and one woman with a knife on the grounds of the Jarosław abbey, on Benedyktyńska Street – confirmed staff aspirant Anna Długosz of the District Police Headquarters in Jarosław.
Five people were hurt in total: four men, three of them Catholic priests, and one woman. Every victim was taken to hospital. Early reports described the condition of three of them as life-threatening, and officers later confirmed that one of the priests had died.
We are shaken by this evil
– A Ukrainian citizen has committed a terrible crime at the Benedictine Sisters’ Abbey in Jarosław. We are shaken by this evil – wrote Volodymyr Zelensky in a post published in Polish.
– According to the information gathered so far, a Catholic priest was killed and several other people were injured. We offer our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased – said the Ukrainian president.
– We wish all those injured a speedy return to health – he added.
– The perpetrator of this evil must bear full responsibility under the law in force. We count on a swift and reliable clarification of all the circumstances. It is painful that people are capable of such cruel crimes. We believe that justice will be done – wrote Zelensky.
From Germany to a closed border crossing
Police have not made public the motive behind the attack. What is known is that the suspect arrived in Poland from Germany and then tried to cross the border into Ukraine at the Korczowa crossing, which had been shut because of Russian air strikes.
Zelensky stressed that the man responsible for the tragedy should answer for his deed as soon as possible, and expressed hope that the reasons for his behaviour would be explained.
Źródło: Polsat News, Fot. Polsat News
