ISIS cowards murder priest in his church
TWO knife-wielding ISIS terrorists yesterday stormed a small church during a mass and butchered elderly priest Father Jacques Hamel in front of nuns and his congregation.
In the latest atrocity to rock France, the men read out a sermon in Arabic from the altar then forced the 85-year-old to kneel before slitting his throat while videoing the cold-blooded murder.
The fanatics attacked at least two other parishioners, one of whom was last night fighting for his life.
The murderers, both on the French terrorist watch list, were gunned down by police commandos as they walked out of the church in a suburb of Rouen, in Normandy.
It later emerged the clergyman was deputising while the regular parish priest was on holiday.
One of the attackers, identified as Adel Kermiche, 19, had been released from jail in March after repeatedly trying to join ISIS in Syria.
He was meant to be living under curfew with his parents with an electronic ankle tag.
The church targeted was said to have been on a hit list found last year on a suspected ISIS terrorist.
A third man, a 17-year-old known as HB and believed to be a relative of Kermiche, was arrested at his home close to the church after the attack. The terrorists burst into the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray through a back door, taking hostage the priest, two parishioners and two nuns.
A third nun, Sister Danielle, escaped and alerted police.
She said: “They forced him to his knees. He wanted to defend himself. And that’s when the tragedy happened. They recorded themselves. They did a sort of sermon around the altar, in Arabic. It’s a horror.”
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy called for a “merciless” response to the killing while “horrified” ex-prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said he fears “everything is being done to trigger a war of religions”.
President Francois Hollande, visiting the scene of the attack, appealed for “unity” in France, where there has been political splits in the aftermath of the Nice truck attack, the third major strike in the country in 18 months.
Two weeks ago, on Bastille Day, an ISIS fanatic murdered 84 innocent children, women and men by driving his truck through packed crowds watching fireworks in Nice.
Yesterday’s knifemen burst in shouting “Allahu Akbar”.
The crisis was over in 45 minutes when the killers were gunned down.
Paris prosecutor Francois Molins described both attackers as “these appalling cowardly people”. Police tried to negotiate with them “but couldn’t get into the church because of the heavy locked door,” he said.
Mr Molins said one of the terrorists had a “bomb and also a kitchen knife” while the other held a timer and a “backpack with fake guns”.
He confirmed that Father Jacques died from knife wounds “to the throat and chest”.
As sniffer dogs searched the church for booby traps, a spokesman for French Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said: “The BRI [Search and Intervention Brigade] squad from Rouen was rapidly sent to the scene.
“They encircled the church, establishing a perimeter cordon. The two hostage-takers exited the church and were shot.”
Father Hamel, who was ordained in 1958, was a local man born nearby the church. A fellow priest described him as a “ray of sunshine”. Worshipper Eulalie Garcia, who works in a beauty parlour, said: “My family has lived here for 35 years and we have always known him. He was someone treasured by the community.”
Pope Francis expressed “sorrow and horror”. In a statement from the Vatican he said: “We are particularly struck because this horrible violence has occurred in a church – a sacred place.” The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said: “Evil attacks the weakest, denies truth and love, is defeated through Jesus Christ. Pray for France, for victims, for their communities.”
Prime Minister Theresa May offered her condolences to the people of France. She said: “We all face a terror threat. If you look at the national threat level here in the United Kingdom, it is at severe. That means that a terrorist attack is highly likely. What is necessary is for us all to work together and stand shoulder to shoulder with France. But on one thing we are all absolutely clear – and that is the terrorists will not prevail.
“They are trying to destroy our way of life. They are trying to destroy our values. We have shared values and those values will win through.”
Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny, during a visit to London, called the attack “particularly brutal”.
Security expert Joseph Downing of the London School of Economics said rivalries within the security services may be hindering the terror crackdown. said: “They’ve got several different intelligence agencies in France that seem to have problems talking to each other, ” he said.
President Hollande said in a television address last night the war against Islamist militancy both abroad and at home would be long.
He added: “In the face of this threat that has never been greater in France and Europe, the government is absolutely determined to defeat terrorism.”