Madrid, 28 March 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Two people were killed and several more critically injured in a stabbing at a Muslim religious and cultural centre in Lisbon on Tuesday, according to police.

Police said they shot the attacker, who was seriously injured and taken into custody. The attacker had approached officers with a large knife and he did not heed warnings to put it down, the police said.

The attack occurred in the Ismaili Centre, not far from the Benfica Lisbon football stadium. Ismailism is a branch of Shia Islam.

According to the TV station RTP, the two people killed in the attack were women aged 49 and 24 respectively. Both were employees of the centre, it said.

A police spokesman told dpa that the deceased had not yet been officially identified.

The spokesman said a terrorist attack was suspected but did not rule out other motives.

More information was released about the attacker by RTP. The widowed Afghan refugee is the father of three children.

The broadcaster reported that several experts from the National Counter-Terrorism Unit (UNCT) had cordoned off the centre and begun investigations alongside other authorities.

Prime Minister António Costa expressed his condolences and solidarity to the families of the victims and also to the Ismaili community in Portugal on Twitter.

It is too early to speculate about the motives for this crime, said Costa. "We have to wait for the results of the investigation," he said.

When speaking to journalists, however, he expressed his conviction that the attack was "an isolated act."

Portugal is considered one of the safest countries in the world and does not tend to experience anti-Islam attacks or a high level of crime.

According to authorities, the attack happened around 12 pm.

The large Ismaili centre founded in 1996 is the first religious, cultural and social meeting place for Ismailis in Portugal.

There are around 15 million Ismailis worldwide, mainly in India, Pakistan, Syria, Afghanistan and Iran. In Portugal, there are around 8,000, with most coming from Mozambique, a former Portuguese colony