Two women were stabbed to death in an attack on an Ismaili Muslim Center in Lisbon on Tuesday, and others were wounded, according to the Portuguese police. The attack took place at around 11:30 am local time when a man entered the premises and stabbed those present.
A worker at the Ismaili center told the press after the incident was reported, “It was all very fast, but there are people dead. He had a huge knife.”
Upon arrival, the police “found a man with a large knife” and “gave orders to the attacker to stop, which he disobeyed, running toward the police with the knife.”
In response, the police shot the aggressor in the leg. He was then taken into custody and transported to São José Hospital.
The motive behind the attack is currently unknown, and an investigation is ongoing.
The Ismaili community in Portugal has expressed shock and sadness over the attack. Rahim Firozali, the President of the National Council of the Muslim Ismaili Community in Portugal, has said that “the Muslim Ismaili community is supporting the families of the victims.”
The Ismaili community, a branch of Shia Islam, is a small minority in Portugal. However, the Ismaili Center in Lisbon is one of Europe’s largest and most important.
Prime Minister António Costa also took to social media to express his condolences, adding that “it is premature to interpret the motivations of this criminal act. We should wait for the investigation results.”
Manifesto a minha solidariedade e pesar à comunidade ismaelita e à s famÃlias das vÃtimas do ataque desta manhã no Centro Ismaili de Lisboa.
Registo a pronta intervenção da @PSP_Portugal que procedeu imediatamente à detenção do suspeito.— António Costa (@antoniocostapm) March 28, 2023
