Belgium: Priest 'stabbed at home by asylum seeker'

A priest in Belgium was reportedly stabbed in his own home after he let in an asylum seeker in to use the shower. There is no suggestion the incident was terrorism-related.

Jos Vanderlee, 65, let the man in after he knocked on the door asking to use the bathroom to get clean, according to local reports.

But when the priest refused to give him money as well, he became irate and attacked him, stabbing him in the hands, prosecutors alleged.

The incident, in Lanaken, is reported to have taken place yesterday.

The Public Prosecutor of Limburg, Coppin Bruno said there was no suggestion of terrorism, according to the local newspaper Het Nieuwsblad.

The mayor of Lanake, Marino Keulen said: "Despite the fact that we are shocked, we must stress that this incident can not be linked to terrorist acts at this stage of the investigation."

However, the incident comes amid heightened tensions after the brutal murder of French priest Jacques Hamel in Rouen.

Adel Kermiche and Abdel Malik Nabil Petitjean, both 19, attacked the Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray church, taking two nuns and two fellow-worshippers hostage before slitting the throat of the priest at the altar. Both men, who were shot dead by police, had pledged allegiance to so-called Islamic State.

News
Sex offender ‘manipulating’ system to stay in the UK as ‘Christian’ asylum seeker
Sex offender ‘manipulating’ system to stay in the UK as ‘Christian’ asylum seeker

Immigration judges found his history of sexual offences did not invalidate his claim to Christian conversion

Disappointment as St Albans council votes to end prayers before meetings
Disappointment as St Albans council votes to end prayers before meetings

A local Christian leader in the city of St Albans has criticized a vote by the council to scrap prayers before official meetings.

Who was St Joseph and what do we know about him?
Who was St Joseph and what do we know about him?

The 19th of March is St Joseph’s Day, which in some countries is known as Father’s Day, but who was St Joseph and what do we know about him? This is the story …

Calls for urgent policy reforms to address widening marriage gap between rich and poor
Calls for urgent policy reforms to address widening marriage gap between rich and poor

A new report released by the Marriage Foundation has called for urgent policy changes by the government to address what it describes as a "calamitous" marriage gap of 51 per cent between wealthy and low-income couples.