France was plunged into shock for the second time in 12 days when two men slit the throat of a priest during mass in a Normandy church on Tuesday morning. The attackers, who were shot dead by police, killed 85-year-old Father Jacques Hamel and seriously injured a parishioner.
The assailants forced Father Hamel to his knees before killing him and filmed themselves preaching in Arabic by the altar, according to a nun who witnessed the attack. Sister Danielle, who fled the church, described the scene as 'a horror' and praised the priest as 'an extraordinary man'.
French President François Hollande described the attack as 'a vile terrorist act' carried out by supporters of Islamic State. One attacker was identified as 19-year-old Adel Kermiche, who had previously tried to travel to Syria and was under judicial supervision with an electronic tag.
The attack occurred less than two weeks after a Bastille Day truck rampage in Nice that killed 84 people. Hollande said the country must remain united in the face of such threats.
