The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Terrorists will not prevail, insists May
PM calls for increased intelligence-sharing in fight against Islamist terrorism
Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed that Islamist terrorists “will not prevail” in the wake of Tuesday’s murder of a Catholic priest in northern France.
The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for the killing, describing the two knifemen who slit the throat of 85-year-old Father Jacques Hamel and seriously injured an 86-yearold parishioner as its “soldiers”.
French President Francois Hollande – who met faith leaders and spoke with Pope Francis following the attack – said his country was at “war” with IS, adding: “To attack a church, to kill a priest, is to profane the Republic.”
Speaking during a visit to Italy, Mrs May called on European states to step up intelligence-sharing, which she said was “one of the best ways in which we can work together to ensure that we deal with this threat, to protect our citizens, but also to ensure that the terrorists do not win”.
And she added: “They are trying to attack our values. They are attacking our way of life. They will not prevail.”
Mrs May described Father Hamel’s murder as “yet another brutal reminder of the threat that we all face”.
“Following on from the atrocities in Nice and Germany, it reinforces the need for action both in Europe and on the wider global stage,” she said.
“In Europe, we must increase further our intelligence cooperation and share vital information swiftly and effectively, enabling us to better protect ourselves from these terrorists who seek to destabilise us.”
It emerged that one of the two attackers shot dead by police in Normandy was wearing an electronic surveillance tag at the time of the attack, having been released from prison where he was being held after twice attempting to travel to Syria.
France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor Francois Molins said 19-year-old Adel Kermiche’s tag was deactivated for a few hours every morning, and the attack took place while it was not operating.
Meanwhle, Mrs May revealed she has begun preparations for Britain’s “orderly departure” from the European Union as she held talks with her Italian counterpart in Rome.
The Prime Minister insisted Britain would maintain “close” economic links following Brexit after meeting Matteo Renzi.
Italy’s premier said the negotiations must be as “efficient as possible” and called for a timeline to be set out.
During the press conference, Mrs May said she had chaired the first meeting of a Cabinet committee on exiting the EU to “prepare and plan for an orderly departure”.