By the Associated Press Attackers entered a South African mosque after midday prayers, stabbed three people and set the place on fire before fleeing, local police said Thursday, as people expressed shock at the kind of attack rarely seen in the country. (photo from Africanews) “The motive of the attack on the three men is unknown at this stage,” Capt. Nqobile Gwala with police in KwaZulu-Natal province told The Associated Press in an email. “Verulam police are investigating three counts of attempted murder and arson.” South Africa’s state broadcaster SABC reported that the three people were in critical condition after the attack on the mosque in the eastern town of Verulam. Local media cited an emergency responder, Reaction Unit South Africa, as saying three attackers slit people’s throats and fled. The attack came shortly ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins around May 16. South Africa has not been a target for militant attacks of the kind that occur in some other African countries.