San Jose stabbing: At least two dead after knife attack at California church

Man, 22, reportedly detained following incident that has left others with life-threatening injuries

At least two killed after knife attack at Grace Baptist Church in San Jose (Google Maps)

At least two people have been killed and others seriously wounded in a knife attack at a church in San Jose, California, authorities have said.

“Our hearts go out to the families of the two community members who have succumbed to stabbing wounds in the attack at Grace Baptist Church downtown,” San Jose mayor Sam Liccardo said in a tweet late on Sunday.

San Jose police said on Twitter that officers had responded to a reported stabbing at the church, and confirmed the two deaths and other life-threatening injuries.

They added there were no services underway at the time of the attack, but that homeless people had been taken to the church to get them out of the cold.

Mr Liccardo initially tweeted that a suspect had been arrested, but later deleted the information and said a statement from police about the investigation would be forthcoming. 

Local news outlet KTVU reported a 22-year-old man was detained following the stabbing. 

Video shown by news outlets near the church showed several ambulances and police cars, and police tape and traffic cones cordoning off the road.

Additional reporting by AP