Two jihadists wielding knives entered a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, Normandy, during mass.  Two nuns and two parishioners were taken hostage, one nun is seriously injured.  The 84-year-old priest, Father Jacques Hamel (pictured left), was forced to kneel down and his throat was slashed while one of the Islamists’ filmed the murder.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack and saying the butchery was carried out by two Islamic State soldiers. The two jihadists were known terror threats and wore ankle monitors, they were later shot by French police. An additional person has been detained as part of investigation.

French President Francois Hollande says he very angry now, and pledges to fight ISIS “using all means possible”.  With the ISIS attacks continuing inside France, Mr. Hollande has not ruled out the need for a sternly worded letter.

(Via Daily Mail) […] A spokesman for the Interior Ministry in Paris had earlier said that the men had crept into the church via a back entrance during a morning service, soon after 9am. The two men seized the priest, two sisters from a local order, and two parishioners.

‘A third nun escaped and raised the alarm, and anti-terrorists officers were on the scene within minutes,’ said a source who lives locally. ‘It appears that the priest who was celebrating the service was attacked first, and had his throat cut.

‘The area around the church was sealed off, and then armed officers appeared with their weapons. I heard at least a dozen shots.’

The siege officially ended at around 11am, following the shooting of the two attackers.

French authorities admitted that both of the attackers were subject to security ‘S’ files, meaning both were known terror suspects who should have been under surveillance. (read more)