France
Police in France have ended the taking of hostages,
In the French Normandy armed men have kidnapped several people. A hostage was killed. Special forces of the police shot the alleged perpetrator. The backgrounds are still unclear.
The fact was played out in a Church near Rouen, in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. Two knife-wielding men brought several people to their violence. The 84-year-old priest of the parish was killed. French media reports citing police circles, his throat had been cut. Another hostage floats according to the Ministry of the interior is still in life danger.
What Priest hostage killed in #SaintEtienneduRouvray church siege, police sources tell French media https://t.co/bDrdFDa4n3
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) 26. July 2016
In the meantime, the hostage situation is over: police have shot and killed the Gangster, as they stormed out of the Church, informed the Ministry of the interior. The men had detained five persons: the killed priest, two nuns and two members of the community. They were invaded during the Morning mass in the house of God. Special forces for demining are looking currently for possible explosives.
Hollande rushes in Normandy
President François Hollande and interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve have gone, meanwhile, to the scene of the crime. The Anti-terrorism Prosecutor in Paris drew the investigations. The channel France TV reports that a woman was able to escape and the police are notified, ‘ve heard that the perpetrators had called Islamist slogans.
In this Church, and the alleged perpetrators brought the hostages to their violence
Prime Minister Manuel Valls spoke in the short message service Twitter as a “barbaric attack” and added: “the Whole of France, and all Catholics have been violated. We stand together.”
Horreur face à l’attaque barbare d’une église de Seine-Maritime. La France entière et tous les catholiques sont meurtris. Nous ferons bloc.
— Manuel Valls (@manuelvalls) 26. July 2016
Pope Francis expressed a Vatican spokesman, the “pain and dismay” about the attack on the Catholic Church. Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray has just under 30,000 inhabitants. The city is located in the Département of Seine-Maritime, ten miles South of Rouen on the Seine.
jj/ml (dpa, afp, ap, bbc)