LISBON: At least two people killed and several injured in a collision knife attack at the Ismaili Center in Lisbon on Tuesday, Portuguese police said.
An unidentified man carrying a large knife attacked the Shia Muslim center in Lisbon shortly before 11 a.m. (1100 GMT) on Tuesday, a police statement said.
The attacker was shot after refusing to lay down his weapon and approached the officers with a knife. He was arrested and taken to the hospital.
CNN Portugal said the alleged attacker was an Afghan national. Police did not immediately confirm his nationality.
Several distressed-looking people were standing outside the center in Lisbon amid the presence of heavily armed police and then being ushered into the building.
Prime minister Antonio Costa said everything indicated that it was an isolated act and it was too early to give any explanation for the crime.
Ismailis are a minority in Shia Islam whose members have been attacked by extremist groups in countries like Pakistan.
Prince Karim Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of Ismailis in the world, opened the center in Lisbon in 1998, complete with prayer rooms, classrooms, meeting rooms and exhibition spaces.
The Ismaili community in Portugal is one of the largest in mainland Europe, numbering in the thousands, many of whom have fled Mozambique during the civil war.
An unidentified man carrying a large knife attacked the Shia Muslim center in Lisbon shortly before 11 a.m. (1100 GMT) on Tuesday, a police statement said.
The attacker was shot after refusing to lay down his weapon and approached the officers with a knife. He was arrested and taken to the hospital.
CNN Portugal said the alleged attacker was an Afghan national. Police did not immediately confirm his nationality.
Several distressed-looking people were standing outside the center in Lisbon amid the presence of heavily armed police and then being ushered into the building.
Prime minister Antonio Costa said everything indicated that it was an isolated act and it was too early to give any explanation for the crime.
Ismailis are a minority in Shia Islam whose members have been attacked by extremist groups in countries like Pakistan.
Prince Karim Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of Ismailis in the world, opened the center in Lisbon in 1998, complete with prayer rooms, classrooms, meeting rooms and exhibition spaces.
The Ismaili community in Portugal is one of the largest in mainland Europe, numbering in the thousands, many of whom have fled Mozambique during the civil war.
