Skip to main content
Tags: france | church | attack | terrorists | priest

France Church Attack: Terrorists Slit Normandy Priest's Throat

France Church Attack: Terrorists Slit Normandy Priest's Throat

Emergency personnel transport person to ambulance in Normandy, France. (BFM via AP)

By    |   Tuesday, 26 July 2016 10:40 AM EDT

A France church attack in Normandy by two men claiming to be from the Islamic State left an 84-year-old priest dead, his throat slit, in yet another terror attack in the country, reported The Local.

The two men entered the church in the Normandy city of Rouen about 10 a.m. local time during morning mass and took Father Jacques Hamel hostage along with two nuns and two worshippers.

One nun  managed to escape and alerted authorities, said The Local.

The men cut the throats of Hamel and one worshipper, killing the priest. The parishioner survived but is reportedly "fighting for their life" at a hospital, per The Local.

French television said police shot and killed both hostage takers after surrounding the building, according to BBC News. The Guardian said the suspects were killed by an anti-gang brigade as they left the church.

The Islamic State-connected Amaq news agency stated, according to the BBC News, that "two soldiers of the Islamic State" carried out the attack on the church.

Pope Frances called the incident the "pain and horror of this absurd violence."

"I have met with the family of the priest and I have spoken to the people kept hostage who expressed their pain and sadness as well as a wish to comprehend what has happened," French president, François Hollande said, according to The Guardian.

The BBC News said Dominique Lebrun, the Archbishop of Rouen, who was in Poland attending a Catholic gathering, spoke out against the murder, as well.

"I cry out to God with all men of goodwill," Lebrun said, per the BBC News. "I would invite non-believers to join in the cry. The Catholic Church cannot take weapons other than those of prayer and brotherhood among men."

France has suffered three major terrorist attacks in less than two years.

Seventeen people were killed in January 2015 during an attack at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and other Paris locations, according to The New York Times.

On Nov. 13, terrorists pulled off coordinated attacks at a soccer stadium, cafes and restaurants and the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, killing 130 people. On July 14, a man drove a cargo truck into a crowd of Bastille Day partiers in Nice, France, killing 84 people.

Related Stories:

© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


TheWire
A France church attack in Normandy by two men claiming to be from the Islamic State left an 84-year-old priest dead, his throat slit, in yet another terror attack in the country.
france, church, attack, terrorists, priest
399
2016-40-26
Tuesday, 26 July 2016 10:40 AM
Newsmax Media, Inc.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 

Interest-Based Advertising | Do not sell or share my personal information

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© 2025 Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Download the Newsmax App
NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© 2025 Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved