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The Local.fr — July 26, 2016

Security and emergency services at the scene of the attack. Click to enlarge

Security and emergency services at the scene of the attack. Click to enlarge

Two knifemen slit the throat of an 84-year-old priest at a church in northern France on Tuesday in a hostage-taking drama that President François Hollande has described as a “vile terror attack”.

Reports say the men, who according to the president claimed to be from Isis, entered the church via a rear door at around 10am on Tuesday during mass.

Priest Jacques Hamel, aged 84, two nuns and two worshippers were taken hostage, while another nun was able to escape and raise the alarm.

Five people were inside the church when it came under attack, Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre Henry Brandet said.

He said the church was surrounded by France’s anti-gang brigade the BRI, which specialises in kidnappings.

The priest was then killed after having his throat cut, while another parishioner was also attacked in the same way. The victim is said to be fighting for their life in hospital.

According to Le Parisien newspaper, the two men then came out of the church firing at police with at least one gun, before being shot dead by officers. One police officer was injured in the calf.

https://twitter.com/JohnSjoholmLC/status/757869531393994753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

 

With France on high alert after a spate of recent terror attacks, most feared the hostage-taking was simply the latest in a growing line of attacks by jihadists.

Their fears appeared to have been realised when the specialist counter-terrorism judges were swiftly placed in charge of the investigation.

Then president François Hollande described it as a “vile terror attack” and that the atttackers “claimed to be from Daesh” (using the Arabic name for the Islamic State group.)

The French President François Hollande, who is originally from Rouen, and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve arrived at the scene at about 12:40pm

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