Priest stabbed at church in rare Singapore attack: police

A Roman Catholic priest was stabbed while saying mass inside a church in Singapore on Saturday, police said, but added they did not think it was an act of terrorism.

The priest was sent to hospital, but was in a "stable condition", while his Singaporean attacker was arrested, police said in a statement posted on Facebook.

Singapore is one of Asia's safest cities and violent crimes such as stabbings or shootings are extremely rare.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said he was "very shocked and saddened" about the incident, and identified the priest as Christopher Lee.

"Violence has no place in Singapore," he said on Facebook. "Most of all, we must uphold the safety and sanctity of our places of worship - places where people seek peace, solace, and community."

The police statement said the 57-year-old priest "was stabbed during mass" and that the attacker was "disarmed by members of the congregation and subsequently arrested by police officers".

"Based on the preliminary investigations, the man is believed to have acted alone and the police do not suspect that this is an act of terrorism, for now," the statement added.

The suspect, a 37-year-old member of the local Sinhalese community, had previously declared himself as a Christian, it added.

The stabbing happened at Saint Joseph's Church in an affluent suburb of the city.

The church said in a statement that masses will "proceed as normal" on Sunday.