85-year-old priest killed in French church
Assailants loyal to Islamic State forced an
elderly priest to his knees before slitting
his throat and took several worshippers
hostage in a French church yesterday
before police shot the attackers dead.
It was the latest in a wave of attacks in
Europe inspired by the Islamist militant
group based in Iraq and Syria that is on
the defensive against a United States-led
military coalition in which France is a
major partner.
The knifemen entered the church during
morning mass near the northern city of
Rouen, northwest of Paris, killing Father
Jacques Hamel, an 85-year-old parish
priest, and taking four other people
hostage, one of whom was seriously
wounded.
“They forced him to his knees and he
tried to defend himself and that’s when
the drama began,” Sister Danielle, who
escaped as the attackers slayed the
priest, told RMC radio. “They filmed
themselves. It was like a sermon in Arabic
around the altar,” the nun added.
Police shot the attackers dead as they
emerged from the church in the Normandy
town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. T he
anti-terrorist unit of the Paris
prosecutor’s office is investigating the
attack. Police said one person had been
arrested.
Several French media reported that one of
the knifemen was a local man who had
spent a year in jail on his return from
Turkey after being intercepted trying to
travel to Syria, but had been freed on bail
with an electronic tag pending trial for
alleged terrorism offences.
The attack was the latest in a string of
deadly assaults including the mass killing
in Nice, southern France, on Bastille Day
12 days ago and four incidents in
Germany, most recently a suicide
bombing at a concert in Ansbach on
Sunday.
Speaking at the scene of the attack,
President Francois Hollande said Islamic
State had declared war on France, which
should “use all its means” within the law
to fight the group.
The president called it a “dreadful terrorist
attack” and told reporters the attackers
had pledged allegiance to Islamic State,
against which France has launched air
strikes in Syria and Iraq. News agency
Amaq, which is affiliated with Islamic
State, said two of its “soldiers” were
involved.
“The threat remains very high,” Hollande
said.
Pope Francis condemned what he called a
“barbarous killing”.”The fact that this
episode took place in a church, killing a
priest, a minister of the Lord and involving
the faithful, is something that affects us
profoundly,” Vatican spokesman Father
Federico Lombardi
The White House condemned the attack
and commended the French police for
their “quick and decisive response.”
Islamic State has called on its supporters
to take action with any available weapons
targeting countries it has been fighting.
The prosecutor’s office said the
identification of the two suspects was still
underway and it was too early to jump to
conclusions about a possible link. Former
president Nicolas Sarkozy, who is
expected to enter a conservative primary
soon for next year’s presidential election,
jumped on the latest incident to accuse
the Socialist government of being soft on
terrorism.
“We must be merciless,” Sarkozy said in a
statement to reporters. “The legal
quibbling, precautions and pretexts for
insufficient action are not acceptable.
I demand that the government implement
without delay the proposals we presented
months ago. There is no more time to be
wasted.”
elderly priest to his knees before slitting
his throat and took several worshippers
hostage in a French church yesterday
before police shot the attackers dead.
It was the latest in a wave of attacks in
Europe inspired by the Islamist militant
group based in Iraq and Syria that is on
the defensive against a United States-led
military coalition in which France is a
major partner.
The knifemen entered the church during
morning mass near the northern city of
Rouen, northwest of Paris, killing Father
Jacques Hamel, an 85-year-old parish
priest, and taking four other people
hostage, one of whom was seriously
wounded.
“They forced him to his knees and he
tried to defend himself and that’s when
the drama began,” Sister Danielle, who
escaped as the attackers slayed the
priest, told RMC radio. “They filmed
themselves. It was like a sermon in Arabic
around the altar,” the nun added.
Police shot the attackers dead as they
emerged from the church in the Normandy
town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. T he
anti-terrorist unit of the Paris
prosecutor’s office is investigating the
attack. Police said one person had been
arrested.
Several French media reported that one of
the knifemen was a local man who had
spent a year in jail on his return from
Turkey after being intercepted trying to
travel to Syria, but had been freed on bail
with an electronic tag pending trial for
alleged terrorism offences.
The attack was the latest in a string of
deadly assaults including the mass killing
in Nice, southern France, on Bastille Day
12 days ago and four incidents in
Germany, most recently a suicide
bombing at a concert in Ansbach on
Sunday.
Speaking at the scene of the attack,
President Francois Hollande said Islamic
State had declared war on France, which
should “use all its means” within the law
to fight the group.
The president called it a “dreadful terrorist
attack” and told reporters the attackers
had pledged allegiance to Islamic State,
against which France has launched air
strikes in Syria and Iraq. News agency
Amaq, which is affiliated with Islamic
State, said two of its “soldiers” were
involved.
“The threat remains very high,” Hollande
said.
Pope Francis condemned what he called a
“barbarous killing”.”The fact that this
episode took place in a church, killing a
priest, a minister of the Lord and involving
the faithful, is something that affects us
profoundly,” Vatican spokesman Father
Federico Lombardi
The White House condemned the attack
and commended the French police for
their “quick and decisive response.”
Islamic State has called on its supporters
to take action with any available weapons
targeting countries it has been fighting.
The prosecutor’s office said the
identification of the two suspects was still
underway and it was too early to jump to
conclusions about a possible link. Former
president Nicolas Sarkozy, who is
expected to enter a conservative primary
soon for next year’s presidential election,
jumped on the latest incident to accuse
the Socialist government of being soft on
terrorism.
“We must be merciless,” Sarkozy said in a
statement to reporters. “The legal
quibbling, precautions and pretexts for
insufficient action are not acceptable.
I demand that the government implement
without delay the proposals we presented
months ago. There is no more time to be
wasted.”
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