Identities of ISIS members who slit French priest’s throat on camera released


ISIS terrorists have apparently raided a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray near Rouen in Normandy, France -committing executions and holding hostages.

A 84-year-old clergyman, named as Jacques Hamel, is believed to have been beheaded during the attack, according to Daily Mail.  Police told the BBC, it appeared the attackers had slit the priest’s throat with a knife.

“I cry out to God with all men of goodwill. I would invite non-believers to join in the cry,” said the Archbishop of Rouen, Dominique Lebrun.  “The Catholic Church cannot take weapons other than those of prayer and brotherhood among men.”

The Rev. Federico Lombardi, a spokesman for the Vatican, said that Pope Francis was horrified at the “barbaric killing” of a priest and issued “the most severe condemnation of all forms of hatred,” according to the New York Times.

According to a witness, two ISIS knifemen who stormed a church in Normandy forced the elderly priest to kneel before filming themselves butchering him and performing a ‘sermon in Arabic’ at the altar.

According to the Catholic church, Hamel was filling in for the Church’s parish priest while he was on vacation.

President Francois Hollande said the men claimed to be from so-called Islamic State (IS).

He said the attackers had committed a “cowardly assassination” and France would fight IS “by all means,” while speaking in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray.

The attackers are believed to have entered the church during or near the end of Mass. NYT reports, the church’s Tuesday Mass begins at 9 a.m. and lasts for about half an hour; at 11:15 a.m. police said that the crisis was over.

French interior ministry spokesman, Pierre-Henri Brandet, said one of the hostages had been critically wounded.  In addition to Jacques Hamel, four others were taken hostage – two nuns and two parishioners were held by assailants, according to Daily Mail.

French TV reports the hostage-takers were killed with gunfire by the police.  According to the Daily Mail, they were shot dead by police marksmen as they emerged from the building shouting ‘Allahu Akbar.’

19-year-old named as Adel Kermiche, who was being monitored by electronic tag after being jailed for twice attempting to join ISIS in Syria, has been identified as one of the attackers.

Adel Kermiche
Adel Kermiche, pictured in 2011 (Facebook)

A third man, a supposed 17-year-old relative of Kermiche, was arrested at his home following the attack. ISIS published a statement on it news agency’s, Aamaq, website claiming the killing was carried out by “two soldiers of the Islamic State.”  The statement claimed the attack was in response to “calls to target countries belonging to the crusader coalition.”

The following statement was posted to a supposed terrorist network shortly after the attack: “It took Hitler 10 years to control France. But our state shook France in an hour from the north to south. May Allah bless you O soldiers of the caliphate.”

The church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray was allegedly on a terrorist ‘hit list’ found on a suspected ISIS extremist last April.

This attack is the fourth major terrorist attack in France in nineteen months.

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