PM: 2 dead in Portugal stabbing at Muslim center

Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa holds a press conference, on March 15, 2023. (File/AFP)

LISBON: Portuguese police shot a man suspected of stabbing two people to death at an Ismaili Muslim center in Lisbon, Portugal’s prime minister said Tuesday.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa told reporters it was “a criminal act” and that two lives had been lost in the incident Tuesday.
The suspect is hospitalized, Costa said.
“Everything points to this being an isolated incident,” Costa said, without elaborating. Police made no immediate comment but said they would provide more information later Tuesday.
There was no immediate word on the identity of those killed.
Armed police from a special operations unit could be seen forming a perimeter outside the building. Costa said police were investigating the attack and it was too soon to speculate about a motive.
The Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, generally known as the Ismailis, belong to the Shia branch of Islam, according to their website. The Ismaili Muslims are a culturally diverse community living in more than 25 countries around the world, it says.
Portugal hasn't recorded any significant terror attacks in recent decades, and religious violence is virtually unheard of.