Evangelical church in Italy attacked after Sunday service

Members of an evangelical church in San Giuliano Milanese (north of Italy) suffered an attack after their Sunday worship service on 5 May.

A man who had consumed alcohol tried to enter the church’s premises after shouting anti-Christian phrases, including “Allah Akbar” (Allah is Great, a slogan used by radical Islamists), according to local newspaper Il Cittadino.

Several members of this Assemblies of God church were tidying and cleaning the building at 2:20pm when the incident happened. There were still children inside the building as well. The attacker tried to enter the worship hall, but was opposed by some of the church members, at which point he smashed the window of the entrance with a bottle, reports the Italian news website Evangelici.net.

Members of the church called the Carabinieri police, and the assailant, an Egyptian national, was finally arrested minutes after leaving the scene.

An Assemblies of God representative reported the whole event to the police. The church in this town south of Milan has several social justice projects in the area.

Meanwhile, the Islamic community in San Giuliano Milanese reacted to the attack saying they “distance ourselves from any form of violence”, adding that “if the episode has really happened at the hands of a drunk person, this can have absolutely nothing to do with our religion”.