He had retired aged 75 but helped out when necessary – and was reportedly standing in for the regular priest, Father Auguste Moanda-Phuati, when two men wielding knives burst into the church at 9.43am French time on Tuesday.
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The priest died after having his throat slit, sources close to the investigation told AFP.
It is now believed the two attackers had been carrying a “fake explosive device covered in aluminium foil” along with hand-held weapons when they entered the Catholic church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray.
One of the two ISIS knifemen who stormed a church to behead a French priest was a convicted terrorist and was meant to be living with his parents with an electronic tag. One of the nuns managed to escape, French radio reported, and it was that person who raised the alarm and called the police.
“There were worshippers there; there were nuns; and they took those people hostage, including that priest who was killed”.
French president Francois Hollande and interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve are on their way to the scene.
Minutes after President Hollande spoke, the self-styled Islamic State released a statement claiming it was its soldiers that had carried out the attack. (IS) during their attack.
France had remained on high alert under an extended state of emergency since a truck driven by a Tunisian resident killed 84 revellers along the promenade of France’s southern Mediterranean city of Nice on 14 July, Bastille Day. “He wanted to defend himself”.
In a statement, Vatican Spokesman Father Lombardi said, “the Pope has been informed and participates in the sorrow and horror of this absurd violence with a radical condemnation of every form of hate, and prayer for those affected”.
The third major strike on France in 18 months prompted a bitter political spat over alleged security failings, and revelations over the church attack were likely to raise further questions. She also said the pair filmed the murder.
She said the attackers recorded themselves, adding: “They did a sort of sermon around the altar, in Arabic”.
Dominique Lebrun, the archbishop of Rouen, confirmed the death of Rev Jacques Hamel, 85.
Francois Hollande met with the family of the priest, as well as the mayor of the town, before saying that everyone must realize terrorists are never going to give up until someone puts a stop to them.
A nun who was present at the Church in Normandy this morning (Tuesday) during the time of the deadly terror attack that took place at the site provided the French Police with a chilling testimony that sheds new light on the incident. He said Rev Hamel had been at the church for the past decade.
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“We will stand together”, Valls said on Twitter.
