A Roman Catholic priest was stabbed to death while saying mass inside a Singapore church on Saturday, police said, but added they did not believe it was an act of terrorism.

The priest was sent to hospital but was in a “stable condition” while his attacker from Singapore was arrested, police said in a statement posted on Facebook.

Singapore is one of the safest cities in Asia, and violent crimes such as stabbings or shootings are extremely rare.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that a 57-year-old man, who is a priest at the church, was stabbed during mass,” police said.

The attacker was “disarmed by members of the congregation and later arrested by police officers,” the statement said.

“Based on preliminary investigations, the man is believed to have acted alone and police do not suspect this to be an act of terrorism at this time.”