Monk dies after assault by man shouting 'I am Jesus Christ'

A 76-year-old monk has died after being attacked at a monastery in southeastern Spain by a man who allegedly shouted, "I am Jesus Christ," the monk’s religious order reported, AFP reported.

The attack, which injured two other monks, took place on Saturday morning at the Santo Espiritu del Monte monastery in the hills above Gilet, a village 30 kilometres north of Valencia.

The middle-aged attacker reportedly forced his way into the cloister as the monks were having breakfast and struck three of them with a blunt object, according to a statement by the Franciscan order managing the monastery. Brother Angel Ramon managed to drive the man away and immediately alerted authorities.

One of the wounded monks was taken to hospital in critical condition and passed away on Monday afternoon due to his injuries, a religious official told AFP, expressing profound sadness.

Brother Ramon recounted to El Pais newspaper that the assailant seemed to be in a disturbed state, yelling: “I’m going to kill the brothers, I am Jesus Christ,” before picking up objects such as sticks and a bottle to strike the monks.

In a statement, the Gilet town council confirmed that the attacker had been arrested after initially fleeing into the mountains around the monastery. Spanish media reported that the suspect is a 46-year-old Spanish man with a history of mental health issues and drug addiction. 

He is scheduled to appear before a magistrate on Tuesday.