French church attack leaves one dead; Police ‘neutralise’ hostage-takers

Paris, July 26: Two armed men stormed a Church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in Northern France during a service around 10am local time and took a priest, two nuns and several members of the congregation hostage.

French TV said that a number of shots had been heard after police arrived at the scene.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve was on his way to the town to be briefed by the police. Meanwhile, French interior ministry spokesman, Pierre-Henri Brandet said one of the hostages had been critically wounded and that the knife wielding hostage-takers had been “neutralised”.

The Paris prosecutor said the incident was being investigated by the national counter-terrorism task force and the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) intelligence agency.

The unfortunate incident comes less than a fortnight after the Nice attack that killed 84 people and left more than 300 injured.

Photo courtesy ChicagoTribune.com