Cape Town - The Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) has condemned Thursday morning's deadly attack on a mosque in Malmesbury outside Cape Town and says it is "shocked to the very core".
MJC spokesperson Mishka Darries said the stabbing attack which left two worshippers dead "has turned us upside down".
The incident happened at about 3am on the last day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan (if the moon is sighted on Thursday night).
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Andre Traut said two people were stabbed to death and the attacker was killed by police when he refused to surrender.
"Malmesbury police were called out to a local mosque and found two people stabbed to death and several injured. The suspect, believed to be in his thirties and armed with a knife, was still on the scene and charged at the police who tried to persuade him to hand himself over. He ignored the calls and tried to attack police".
Police shot and killed him on the scene.
The suspect is believed to be Somalian.
Darries said the two worshippers had been performing itikaaf, usually performed in the last ten days of Ramadan.
She said she did not want to speculate on the motive or whether it could be linked to an attack on a mosque in Verulam outside Durban five weeks ago when armed men stabbed and injured two workers and killed a worshipper.
"Islam is against violence of any form. Life is sacred in our teachings".
She said Western Cape Community Safety MEC Dan Plato was on the scene as well as senior members of the MJC.
African News Agency/ANA