IS claims attack that killed French priest, 85

One of the attackers tried twice to leave for Syria, the second was not identified

SAINT- ETIENNE- DU- ROUVRAY, France—The Islamic State (IS) group crossed a new threshold on Tuesday in its war against the West, as two of its followers targeted a church in Normandy, slitting the throat of an elderly priest celebrating Mass and using hostages as human shields before being shot by police.

It was the extremist group’s first attack against a church in the West, and fulfills longstanding threats against “crusaders” in what the militants paint as a centuries-old battle for power.

One of the attackers had tried twice to leave for Syria, the second was not identified.

“To attack a church, to kill a priest, is to profane the republic,” French President Francois Hollande told the nation after speaking with Pope Francis, who condemned the killing in the strongest terms.

Rev. Jacques Hamel was celebrating Mass for three nuns and two parishioners on a quiet summer morning in Saint-Etiennedu-Rouvray when the attackers burst in and forced the 85-year-old priest to his knees before slicing his throat, according to authorities and a nun who escaped.

The nun described seeing the attackers film themselves and give a sermon in Arabic around the altar before she fled.

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said the other hostages were used as human shields to block police from entering. One 86-yearold parishioner was wounded.

The two attackers were killed by police as they rushed from the building shouting “Allahu Akbar,” Molins said.

One had three knives and a fake explosives belt. The other carried a kitchen timer wrapped in aluminum foil and had fake explosives in his backpack.

One of the assailants was identified as Adel Kermiche, a 19-year-old who grew up in the town and tried to travel to Syria twice last year using family members’ identity documents, but was arrested outside France and handed preliminary terrorism charges.

Kermiche was put under house arrest with an electronic surveillance bracelet after a judge overruled prosecutors and agreed to free him, Molins said.

However, the bracelet was deactivated for a few hours every morning as part of the surveillance agreement, Molins said — hours that corresponded to the time of Tuesday’s attack.

A statement published by the IS-affiliated Amaq news agency said Tuesday’s attack was carried out by “two soldiers of the IS State” who acted in response to calls to target nations in the US-led coalition fighting the extremist group in Iraq and Syria. (AP)