Suspect armed with two knives takes refuge in church after stabbing incident in Marbella

National Police officers on the Costa del Sol arrested a man armed with two knives on Tuesday in a church in Marbella where he had taken refuge after reportedly stabbing another man in public.

The incident happened on Calle Serenata around 3pm, when local residents witnessed the alleged knife attack and called the police.

The suspect fled and took refuge in the Divina Pastora parish church, located on Avenida Europa, only 300 metres from the crime scene. The man was armed with at least one knife and was shirtless. It is believed that his mental capacity was possibly impaired.

While the police remained outside, the priest spoke to the alleged suspect and managed to calm him down. The police then entered the church building and arrested the suspect.

Although the parish priest said that the man is a regular in the church congregation and has never before been involved in a violent act, some locals stated that they had seen him walking on the street with a pocketknife a few days earlier.