An elderly priest is the latest victim of yet another brutal terror attack in France.
Father Jacques Hamel was among a group of worshippers targeted by ISIS early Tuesday. Two men, both armed with knives, stormed the 17th-century church as morning mass ended and forced the church-goers, most of which were vacationers, to become their hostages.
After refusing the young men’s orders to kneel, the 84-year-old priest was left to die after having his throat slit.
Both suspects were shot dead by police officers entering the church. One hostage is currently “fighting for life” after suffering injuries from the attackers.
The Islamic State, who following the attack claimed responsibility for the men who they named as their “soldiers,” used the incident to illustrate the ongoing religious war between Christians and Muslims.
Shock, fear, and anger spread to the people of France and Europe upon hearing the news and French President Francois Hollande rushed to the town of Normandy to give his condolences outside the church.
“We must realize that the terrorists will not give up until we stop them,” he said.
In a televised national address later that evening he made the following remark:
“Our country is at war…this war will be long.”
The event was described by the Vatican as a “barbarous killing” due to the location of the attack.
“There were worshippers there; there were nuns; and they took people hostage, including that priest that was killed. One of the nuns managed to escape,” said Al Jazeera reporter Natacha Butler.
France has been in and out of the news the past year for being the victim of several ISIS led terrorist attacks. Last November, a busy outside mall in Paris was hit with suicide bombings and shootings, leaving 130 people dead.
Most recently, a savage street massacre in Nice made headlines after a man mauled over people celebrating Bastille Day with his truck. While ISIS did ultimately claim this attack as their own, French prosecutors have yet to prove the attacker was linked to the Islamic state.
A state of emergency has been declared for France as security measures increase in order to protect the population from any further attacks.
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