The priest died after his throat was slit.
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Two knifemen who had pledged allegiance to Isis forced two nuns to watch as they filmed themselves slitting the throat of a French priest while they performed “a sort of sermon”, it has emerged.
Shortly afterwards the IS-linked Amaq news agency, citing a “security source”, said the perpetrators were “soldiers of the Islamic State who carried out the attack in response to calls to target countries of the Crusader coalition”.
At a news conference in the town, French President Francois Hollande said the attackers “claimed to be from Daesh”, using another name for the terror group. Islamic State claimed the attack in Nice.
“We must lead this war with all our means”, he said, adding that he was calling a meeting on Wednesday of representatives of all religions.
Parishioners said they were shocked by the attack and paid tribute to the priest.
Kermiche was arrested trying to go to Syria and was put under judicial supervision upon his return, with an electronic bracelet that was deactivated for five hours a day allowing him to leave home without surveillance, according to a police official.
Three hostages were freed unharmed, but one is in a critical condition. “And that’s when the tragedy happened”.
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. “There is no more time to be wasted”. “There are still unknowns”, Brandet said. “All those who have governed us for 30 years bear an huge responsibility”.
Hollande insisted that the government must stick to the rule of law, which he said was the hallmark of a democracy.
Pope Francis condemned what he called a “barbarous killing”.
The Vatican spoke of a “barbaric killing” and “horrific violence.in a church, a sacred place where the love of God is declared”.
Pensioner Claude-Albert Seguin told the Associated Press: “Everyone knew him very well”.
The Normandy attack came less than two weeks after a 31-year-old Tunisian, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, ploughed his heavy goods truck into a crowd of revellers in the French Riviera city of Nice, killing 84 people.
The Paris prosecutor’s office says one person has been detained in the investigation into an attack on a church that left a priest dead and was claimed by the Islamic State group.
CNN can not independently confirm the claim, and there no evidence has surfaced showing ISIS had been in direct contact with the attackers.
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of Rouen identified the slain priest as 84-year-old Father Jacques Hamel.
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“The Catholic church has no other arms than prayer and fraternity among men”, the bishop said.
