A priest has been murdered in the Normandy region of northern France after two men armed with knives and claiming to represent the Islamic State terror group took hostages in a church before being shot dead.
Father Jacques Hamel, 84, had his throat slit, investigative sources said. The French president, François Hollande, who travelled immediately to Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, near Rouen, said the attack was carried out by “two terrorists who claimed to be from Isis”.
Five people – the priest and reportedly two nuns and two worshippers – were inside the church when the men entered. Isis later said two of its “soldiers” were responsible.
Pierre Henry Brandet, an interior ministry spokesman, said the church had been surrounded by the BRI, France’s “anti-gang brigade”, which specialises in kidnappings, and that “the two assailants came out and were killed by police”.
Three of the hostages were freed unharmed, and another was fighting for their life.
A witness whose home overlooks the church told BFMTV: “There were more and more police … then a crescendo of gunfire. Of course, given what is happening in the world, we thought of a [terrorist] attack. It was hard to believe what was happening.”
The Paris prosecutor’s office said the case had been handed to anti-terrorism judges for investigation. Police have reportedly identified one of the attackers as a local man who had tried to leave for Syria years ago and was turned back at the Turkish border. He was ordered by a judge to wear an electronic bracelet in March 2016.
Hollande arrived with the French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, but the two were an hour later still unable to enter the church, which was being checked for explosives.
“I have met with the family of the priest and I have spoken to the people kept hostage who expressed their pain and sadness as well as a wish to comprehend what has happened,” Hollande said.
He said the killing was another ordeal to add to those France – and other countries, including Germany – had suffered in the recent past.
The murdered priest had worked in the parish for 10 years. He should have retired at 75 but wanted to continue serving the church and community, local residents said.
