An incident at Buddha Mind Monastery in Oklahoma City escalated to violence Saturday afternoon when a woman was critically injured in a sword attack. OKC's FOX 25 reported that the attacker, identified only as a male individual, entered the monastery before turning a sword on a female staff member.
The victim was quickly transported to a nearby hospital, where she remains in critical condition. Following the attack, police were on the scene trying to actively track down the assailant, who had fled the area after the assault. The monastery, which sits in the 5800 block of S. Anderson, became a hub for law enforcement efforts immediately following the events that unfolded Saturday afternoon.
In a turn of events, a suspect has now been apprehended. KFOR confirms that the Norman Police Department has taken an individual into custody about the incident. Further details about the suspect have not been released pending official statements from the authorities.
Details from eyewitness reports suggest that the situation began when a female employee requested the man to leave the premises. The suspect notably ignored her demand before unsheathing his weapon and committing the assault. This information was first made public by the Oklahoma City Police, as detailed by News 9.
As the investigation continues, police are not yet speculating on a motive for the attack. The community around the Buddhist monastery and the Oklahoma City area at large has been left shaken, seeking to understand the sequence of events that led to so violent an encounter within the peaceful confines of a religious institution. The identity of the wounded woman has been kept private in the immediate aftermath of the attack. Officials are asking anyone with information about the case to come forward.
