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Attackers hurled acid at a Catholic priest last week
It was the third such unprovoked assault in two months
Last month, men on a motorcycle threw acid on two British teens walking alone in Zanzibar
A Catholic priest was attacked with acid on the east African island of Zanzibar in the third such unprovoked assault in two months, and remained hospitalized Saturday, the cleric told CNN.
Most of the suspects arrested Tuesday had acid in their possession and experience working with it, said Mussa Ali Mussa, a local police commissioner.
Attackers hurled acid at a Catholic priest as he was leaving an internet cafe last week, the third such unprovoked assault in two months.
The Rev. Joseph Anselmo Mwagambwa, who was attacked Friday in Zanzibar, is undergoing treatment at the mainland city of Dar es Salaam.
Last month, two British women, both 18, were walking unaccompanied on a street when acid was thrown on their faces, chests and hands by two men on a motorcycle in Zanzibar, officials said.
Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup were attacked in Stone Town, the island’s historic center, and had been working as volunteer teachers on the island, according to the firm i-to-i Travel. Stone Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site popular with tourists.
In another incident in July, a businessman who had built a mall close to the American Embassy in Dar es Salaam was also injured in an acid attack, Tanzanian media reported.
The attack against the two women came as Islamist extremism is rising in the area. The government said it would consider regulating the purchase of acid and other related products, and warned that such attacks could seriously damage the island’s tourism industry.
Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania. According to the CIA World Factbook, the population of Zanzibar is 99% Muslim, while the residents of mainland Tanzania are split roughly evenly among Christian, Muslim and indigenous beliefs.
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CNN’s Larry Register and journalist Farouk Karim contributed to this report