An 86-year-old priest in France was found dead with his throat cut following a hostage situation perpetrated by two men who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, according to reports.
Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of Rouen identified Rev. Jacque Hamel as the priest who was killed when two attackers entered a church in Saint Etienne du Rouvray during morning mass and took five people — the priest, two nuns and two parishioners — hostage.
The small town in Normandy is about 80 miles northwest of Paris.
Both attackers were shot dead by police as they exited the church, authorities said.
Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said one of the hostages was found in critical condition and is hovering between life and death. The names of the other hostages have yet to be released.
French President Francois Hollande said Tuesday the two attackers pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. The assailants’ identities have not yet been released, but ISIS did claim responsibility shortly after the attack.
France is faced with a group that has “declared war” and wants to “divide us,” Hollande said.
Hollande and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve have arrived in the small town, and Hollande said he will soon meet with the archbishop of Rouen.
The White House condemned the attack in the “strongest possible terms” and praised French authorities for their swift response.
“France and the United States share a commitment to protecting religious liberty for those of all faiths, and today’s violence will not shake that commitment,” National Security Council Spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
A nun who was in the church during the attack said the priest was forced to the ground before his throat was slit by the assailants.
“They forced him to his knees. He wanted to defend himself. And that’s when the tragedy happened,” the nun, identified as Sister Danielle, said, adding that the assailants recorded the attack.
“They did a sort of sermon around the altar, in Arabic. It’s a horror,” she told BFM television.
Roberto Maroni, the president of the Lombard region, asked Pope Francis to put the slain priest on the fast track to sainthood. His plea was urged on social media, and the hashtag #santosubito — which translates as “saint immediately” — began circulating on social media.
The attack comes less than two weeks after an Islamic State-inspired attack on a Bastille Day celebration in Nice that left 84 people dead and more than 300 injured when a man drove a cargo truck through a crowd.
