Two men stormed a northern French church, killing a priest and seriously wounding another person, before they were shot dead by police, in what authorities said they are treating as a terrorist attack. The men took five hostages, including the priest, in the church in the small town of Saint Etienne du Rouvray in Normandy. The priest was later found with his throat cut, police said. Police surrounded the church and shot the two men as they exited the building, an Interior Ministry spokesman said. France’s President François Hollande and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve are on their way to the town, said government officials. The assault is being treated as a terror attack by investigators, Paris prosecutors said in a statement. A Vatican spokesman said that Pope Francis shares the “pain and horror” of the attack, which he called a “barbarous” act in a sacred place.
Summary:
- Two knifemen take several people hostage during mass. The hostage-takers are believed to have been shot dead by police
- A local priest was killed after having his throat cut. AFP quote police sources who say one hostage was killed
- Three have been injured with 1 in critical condition according to the Interior Ministry.
- President François Hollande has arrived at the scene with counter terror specialists called in to investigate
Earlier:
In the latest European assault to take place just over the past hour, two knifemen raided the Church of the Gambetta in the northern French town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, near Rouen in the département of Seine-Maritime (see map below) at 10am on Tuesday, taking between 4 and 6 hostages and allegedly killing a priest before being killed by police. According to subsequent unconfirmed reports the priest had been beheaded.
Another worshipper is said to have been seriously wounded.
Both attackers have been killed by police, an interior ministry spokesman confirmed to Reuters. The Paris anti-terrorist prosecutor is launching an investigation into the church attack and hostage-taking situation, the spokesman added
Prise d’otages dans une église près de #Rouen : le prêtre tué, une fidèle gravement blessée https://t.co/FcjM0tfC8k pic.twitter.com/5D8mv3PlL9
— FRANCE 24 (@FRANCE24) July 26, 2016
Nombreux tirs entendus sur places prise otage saint etienne du Rouvray pic.twitter.com/FsqAKAaj2C
— frederic veille (@fredveille) July 26, 2016
MORE: @i24NEWS_EN is now reporting that the priest was beheaded inside the Church #France
— Conflict News (@Conflicts) July 26, 2016
.@skymarkwhite has the latest after reports that knifemen who’d taken hostages at a church in Normandy are shot dead https://t.co/VFJNyTgNXN
— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 26, 2016
— ArabFree (@BrunFree) July 26, 2016
The killed priest has been identified as 86 year old Jacques Hamel.
#France #Latest Priest killed during knife attack during mass near #Rouen identified as 86 yo Jacques Hamel. https://t.co/Oh9qGVnqv0
— José Miguel Sardo (@jmsardo) July 26, 2016
One resident was walking to church as the horror broke out. He told French newspaper MetroNews: “I was going to go out and do my shopping when the police started shouting me to go straight home and barricade myself.
“There is a lot of agitation, the police are bulletproof vest and armed.”
While the motives of the hostage taking are still unclear it comes at a time when France is on high alert after a spate of recent terror attacks. Le Point further reports that the hostage takes shouted “Daesh” (ISIS) while entering the chruch, suggesting they may have been Islamic radicals.
The hostage takers shouted “Daesh” (ISIS) while entering the church according to Le Point #France https://t.co/QxA5uZacGO
— Michael Horowitz (@michaelh992) July 26, 2016
Firefighters, along with SWAT and anti-terror units, came to the scene, and said that there were several people wounded in the attack, RTL France media outlet said.
Prise d’otages en cours place de l’église à Saint-Étienne-du-rouvray, près de #Rouen pic.twitter.com/x0EGDYW3em
— Alice (@AlicePatalacci) July 26, 2016
The Vatican has condemned the “barbaric killing” of the priest in the attack, saying it was made even more heinous by the fact that it happened in a sacred place.
French President Francois Hollande is on his way to the site of the attack, according to an official statement from Elysee Palace. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve is also headed to the scene of the hostage-taking, the ministry said.
#France #Update PM reacts to knife attack inside church near #Rouen. “Horror”, “we’ll remain united”. https://t.co/mNrT11B311
— José Miguel Sardo (@jmsardo) July 26, 2016
#France #Update FM reacts to #SaintEtienneDuRouvray “horrible attack against a priest and catholics”. https://t.co/O6Wa7UhYYJ
— José Miguel Sardo (@jmsardo) July 26, 2016
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