Two killed in knife attack at mosque in South Africa

Johannesburg: Two people were stabbed to death on Thursday at a mosque in South Africa`s Malmesbury in the Western Cape before the attacker was shot dead by police.

The attack comes a month after three knife-wielding men stormed a mosque north of Durban, killing one person and seriously injuring two others.

Police said that incident showed "elements of extremism" but did not otherwise comment on the motive behind the attack in Malmesbury, a small farming town 40 miles north of Cape Town.

"Police were called out to a local mosque and found two people stabbed to death and several injured," the police said in a statement.

"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. He was shot and killed in the process."