2 dead, several injured in a Muslim center with a knife – KGET 17

LISBON, Portugal (AP) – Portuguese police shot and wounded a man suspected of stabbing two women at an Ismaili Muslim center in Lisbon on Tuesday, authorities said.

The women were Portuguese staff at the center, Ismaili community leader Narzim Ahmad told Portuguese TV channel SIC

Police were called to the center late Tuesday morning where they encountered a suspect “armed with a large knife,” according to a police statement.

The police ordered him to surrender, but he walked towards them and was “neutralized”, according to the statement. The suspect was transferred to a Lisbon hospital where he was in police custody.

Several other people were wounded, the statement said, but gave no further details.

Prime Minister Antonio Costa said police had shot the suspect and told reporters the attack was a “criminal act.”

“Everything points to this being an isolated incident,” Costa said, without elaborating.

There was no word on the identity of those killed.

Armed police from the Special Operations Unit could be seen forming a perimeter outside the building.

Costa said police are investigating the attack and it is too early to speculate on a motive.

Shia Imams Ismaili Muslims, generally known as Ismailis, belong to the Shia branch of Islam. Ismaili Muslims are a culturally diverse community living in more than 25 countries around the world.

Portugal has not recorded any significant terrorist attacks in recent decades, and religious violence is almost unheard of.