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Date Published: 27/01/2023

ARCHIVED - Algeciras church terrorist was deported from Gibraltar before carrying out atrocities in Spain

ARCHIVED ARTICLE -

A Moroccan man has been arrested on terrorism charges in Cádiz and stands accused of murdering one church worker with a machete

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Algeciras church terrorist was deported from Gibraltar before carrying out atrocities in Spain

The town of Algeciras in southern Spain is still reeling from shock after a lone Moroccan man went on a rampage on Wednesday evening, January 25, murdering one church sacristan with a machete and seriously injuring several other people.

The suspected terrorist attack is under summary secrecy decreed by the investigating judge, but a few new troubling details have emerged about the case, such as the fact that the assailant was living in Spain illegally and facing the prospect of deportation.

In fact, it’s since been confirmed that 25-year-old Yasin Kanza was deported from Gibraltar in 2019 after arriving at the Rock on a jetski with three other irregular migrants. It’s understood that he was then arrested on June 16 last year in Cádiz and when he couldn’t produce any residency documents or visas, procedures began for his expulsion to Morocco. This, however, was never followed up on and he remained in Spain.

Official sources have also revealed that Kanza was collared by police in Andalucia for attacking another Moroccan citizen whom he accused of going against Islam.

Since the Algeciras atrocities occurred, the Spanish government has been at pains to insist that Kanza wasn’t under surveillance for suspected terrorist activity, although now the judges acknowledge that a jihadist motive is “a reasonable possibility.”

“The detainee has never been on the radar for radicalisation, neither in Spain nor in the databases of nearby friendly countries where he has resided,” Spain’s Interior Minister said at a press conference in Algeciras.

Magistrate in charge of the case, Joaquín Gadea, has no qualms about the motive. According to this statement, Diego Valencia, the sacristan of the church of Nuestra Señora de la Palma, was killed while the attacker “shouted words in Arabic”.

“He held the machete, shouted ‘Allah’ and delivered the thrust,” he explained.

The Muslim community in Algeciras has roundly denounced the attack, and are standing side-by-side with church leaders in mourning the deceased and injured.

Disturbingly, the moment the fatal blow was dealt was actually caught on camera by a young man standing in the street in Algeciras. In the footage, Kangaa can be seen chasing his victim before stabbing him. He then strolls around the square brandishing his weapon at passers-by and appears to be boasting.

Warning: the following footage is graphic and may be upsetting for some.

Este es el momento en el que el yihadista mata al sacristán y a continuación presume de su acción. #Algeciras #Cádiz
Un joven grabó el momento en vídeo. ADVERTENCIA, imágenes sensibles.https://t.co/dSBeqqbSRV pic.twitter.com/3bsNYMCS2q
— POLICÍA H50 (@h50_policia) January 27, 2023

Images: Policia H50 & Jucil Nacional

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