Nicolas Sarkozy calls for 'merciless' response as ex-PM said 'everything is being done to trigger a war of religions'

French authorities revealed they arrested a third man, a 16-year-old Saint-Etienne resident, relating to the attack

One attacker named as 19-year-old Adel Kermiche, known to police for twice trying to join the terror group in Syria

Nun who escaped said killers told her 'You Christians, you kill us' before they killed Father Jacques Hamel


One of a pair of ISIS knifemen who stormed a church in Normandy before slitting the throat of an elderly priest has been named as known terror threat Adel Kermiche.

The 19-year-old 'ISIS soldier' was being monitored with an electronic ankle tag after he was arrested for twice attempting to flee France to join the terror group in Syria.

Despite having been released early from prison, Kermiche's bail conditions allowed him to roam unsupervised between 8.30am and 12.30pm, leaving him free to murder the priest in the attack carried out between 9am and 11am.

Kermiche and his accomplice - also known to French police - forced 84-year-old Father Jacques Hamel to kneel before filming themselves butchering him and performing a 'sermon in Arabic' at the altar of the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, according to witnesses.

Both were shot dead by police marksmen as they emerged from the building shouting 'Allahu Akbar' following the attack that also left a nun critically injured.

Sister Danielle, a nun who escaped, said: 'They told me "you Christians, you kill us". They forced him to his knees. He wanted to defend himself. And that's when the tragedy happened. They recorded themselves. They did a sort of sermon around the altar, in Arabic. It's a horror.'

French President Francois Hollande, who visited the scene on Tuesday, said the country is now 'at war' with ISIS after the terror group claimed responsibility. This morning, French religious leaders joined forces to call for reinforced security.

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Adel Kermiche (pictured right and left, in 2011), 19, has been named as one of the two ISIS knifemen who stormed into a church in Normandy and cut the throat of an 84-year-old Catholic priest Jacques Hamel before being shot dead by police

A French policeman cordons off the area around the body of one of the two knifemen. Parisian prosecutor Francois Molins revealed that the pair were carrying a fake bomb with a timer, a handgun and knives during the attack and said they used nuns as human shields

Father Jacques Hamel had his throat cut in the attack that also left a nun critically injured. He was at the church because he was filling in for the local priest who was on holiday

Kermiche and his accomplice - also known to French police - forced 84-year-old Father Jacques Hamel (pictured centre) to kneel before filming themselves butchering him

Eyewitness Sister Danielle said the two attackers forced murdered priest Father Jacques Hamel 'to his knees. He wanted to defend himself. And that's when the tragedy happened'

French authorities admitted that both Kermiche, believed to have been born in France to parents of Algerian descent, and his partner were subject to security 'S' files, meaning they were known terror suspects who should have been under surveillance.

Kermiche was living with his parents in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray with an electronic tag on his ankle, after spending time in prison in both France and Switzerland. It emerged today that he was also awaiting trial on terror charges.

Parisian prosecutor Francois Molins revealed that the pair were carrying between them a fake explosives belt with a kitchen timer wrapped in tin foil, a backpack full of fake guns and three knives during the attack, and said they used nuns as human shields.

In a press conference, he said police are still seeking to identify the second attacker and raids were underway.

HOSTAGE SIEGE IN FRENCH CHURCH - Two knifemen entered church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, Normandy, around 9.45am local time by a back door during mass - Nuns and worshippers taken hostage - one seriously injured - Father Jacques Hamel killed after reportedly having his throat slashed - Suspects shot dead by French police - ISIS claims responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out by two soldiers - French prosecutors detain one person as part of investigation into attack - Francois Hollande pledges to fight ISIS 'using all means possible' Advertisement

Describing both attackers as 'these appalling cowardly people', Mr Molins said police had tried to negotiate with them 'but couldn't get into the church because of the heavy locked door'.

He further revealed that the person who was seriously injured is no longer in a life-threatening condition.

Kermiche was known to have been a friend of Maxime Hauchard, a French jihadi who has appeared unmasked in videos showing the slaughter of captives from the USA and Syria.

French security sources said Kermiche met former Catholic Hauchard, now 24, close to his home village of Le Bosc-Roger-en-Roumois, in Normandy.

It raises the possibility that Kermiche was inspired by Hauchard to carry out Tuesday's attack in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray.

The mother of Kermiche revealed her son - once a sports-mad teenager who liked the Simpsons and Rihanna - had been 'bewitched' and 'spoke with words that were not his'.

reportedly had four siblings, one of whom was a doctor while friends said he would normally be the first to 'break up any argument'.

But he became radicalised in a matter of months following the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris last January when 12 magazine staff were slaughtered by jihadists.

Kermiche's mother, said to be a professor, revealed that he had started going to a mosque more often before lecturing her on her conduct, the Sun reports.

She said: 'He said that one couldn't exercise one's religion peacefully in France. He spoke with words that were not his. He was bewitched.'

Friends said he eventually would not reason with them and merely quoted back verses 'from the Koran'.

In March 2015, while still a minor, Kermiche used his brother's ID to try to reach the terror group in Syria via Germany, but was arrested in Munich.

Kermiche, pictured in 2011, had previously spent time in prison in France and Switzerland after twice attempting to flee the country to join ISIS in Syria. He was under police surveillance with an electronic ankle tag

Under his bail conditions, Kermiche was allowed to roam without supervision between the hours of 8.30am and 12.30pm, leaving him free to carry out the murder of elderly priest Jacques Hamel

Normandy attacker Adel Kermiche was known to have been a friend of Maxime Hauchard (pictured), a French jihadi involved in the beheading of Americans in Syria

French security sources said Kermiche met former Catholic Hauchard (right), now 24, close to his village of Le Bosc-Roger-en-Roumois, in Normandy. It raises the possibility that Kermiche was inspired by Hauchard to carry out Tuesday's attack in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray

These mobile phone images are believed to be the last photographs taken of Father Hamel before he died. Survivor Sister Danielle said: 'Jacques loved all people regardless of religion. That is all I can say. A faithful priest, a priest who loved everybody, who loved much'

Police officers secure the perimeter around the church on Wednesday morning as investigations continue into the priest's killing

There was still a heavy police presence in the town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray with officers guarding the church

He was placed under judicial control with his parents, but after his 18th birthday again tried to return to the Middle East using an ID card belonging to a cousin.

Accompanied by two childhood friends, Kermiche headed to Switzerland overland and then took a plane to Turkey, hoping to cross the border into Syria.

Turkish police deported him back to Switzerland and, after being sent back to his hometown, he was tried and found guilty of 'associating with a terrorist enterprise' on May 22 2015.

After spending less than a year of his two-and-a-half-year sentence in prison, he was released on March 22 this year.

A prosecutor appealed the decision to release Kermiche, but he was released on bail on condition that he again stayed with his mother and father.

According to his bail conditions, Kermiche was also allowed to go out unsupervised between 8.30am and 12.30pm every day.

The revelation - made to the French TV news channel I-Tele - will cause further outrage in a country devastated by constant security failings.

'I AM NOT AN EXTREMIST': WHAT PRIEST MURDERER TOLD FRENCH JUDGES WHO RELEASED HIM WITH ELECTRIC TAG The known ISIS terrorist who murdered a Catholic priest in northern France had told judges 'I am not an extremist' before being freed from prison to kill, it emerged today. Shocking details about the lax manner with which 19-year-old Adel Kermiche was treated emerged following the slaughter of Father Jacques Hamel, 86, in Normandy. Kermich was wearing an electronic tag, after serving part of his sentence for a range of terrorist offences including trying to join ISIS in Syria, and then being released in March. Authorities are trying to explain why it had been so easy for him and his accomplice to strike. A psychological examination of Kermiche was carried out between October 2015 and February this year, during which he spoke freely about his motives and ambitions. French riot police guard the street on Tuesday night that leads to the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray where a fatal hostage taking incident happened, near Rouen He outlined about his frail psychological state, saying he was regularly in hospital after suffering deep depressions and 'other mental problems'. Kermich said: 'I am a Muslim grounded in the values of mercy, and goodness - I am not an extremist'. Saying he 'couldn't get up' without saying two prayers every morning in his prison cell, he claimed he wanted to become a mental health nurse, and settle down with a family. 'I want to get my life back, to see my friends, to get married,' Kermich told an examining magistrate in the psychological reports leaked to Le Monde newspaper. Kermiche spent his time in prison mixing with other terrorists, including another young Frenchman who had spent 18 months fighting with ISIS. Despite this, he managed to convince those compiling the report that he should be given yet another chance. The judge overseeing Kermiche's case, said the teenager was 'aware of his mistakes', and despite 'suicidal thoughts', was a good candidate to be reintegrated back into society. A mourner lights a candle in tribute to the fallen priest at a makeshift memorial in Paris. The nation is reeling after yet another terror attack, just days after 85 people were killed in horrific attack in the southern city of Nice He could be freed on probation with the 'supervision and support' of his family in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, and wearing an electronic tag, the judge concluded. Prosecutors appealed the decision, saying they were 'unconvinced by the arguments', and that there was a 'high risk' of Kermiche reoffending. Kermiche was even allowed a four-hour period from 8.30am every day when he could leave his parents' home, and wander freely around his home town. It was during this window that he and his accomplice rushed into the church and executed Father Jacques before also knifing a parishioner, who was severely wounded. Today, members of Kermiche's immediate family remained inside their home in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, without commenting. The French authorities have been widely criticised for the way they have allowed known jihadis the freedom to travel and mass weapons to carry out their crimes. French President Francois Hollande was today meeting religious leaders to try and reassure them that everything is being done to protect places of worship, including churches, mosques and synagogue. But the head of state has regularly been booed while out in public, with critics shouting 'Resign!' and 'Murderers!' at him and his prime minister, Manuel Valls. Opposition Republican leader Nicolas Sarkozy accused Mr Hollande of 'trembling' in the face of the jihadist threat. Mr Sarkozy said: 'Everything that should have been done the past 18 months was not done. France cannot let its children be murdered.' Advertisement

A third man, a 16-year-old known as HB and believed to be the younger brother of someone wanted by police for trying to go to Syria or Iraq in 2015, was arrested at his home in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray following the attack.

The Catholic church involved was on a terrorist 'hit list' found in the apartment of a suspected ISIS extremist last April.

French religious leaders today called for authorities to boost security at places of worship.

'We deeply desire that our places of worship are the subject of greater (security) focus, a sustained focus,' said French Muslim leader Dalil Boubakeur, after meeting with President Francois Hollande.

Hollande gathered with the leaders of the country's main religions a day after the killing.

Boubakeur, speaking in the name of French Muslims, voiced his 'deep grief' at the attack which he descrbed as a 'blasphemous sacrilege which goes against all the teachings of our religion.'

Officers stand guard nearby to the church where Father Jacques Hamel, 84, was slaughtered in the vicious assault after mass on Tuesday

It comes as politicians including President Francois Hollande called for 'unity' in the face of what was branded a 'war of religions'

A makeshift memorial has sprung up on the steps of the city hall in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, where the savage attack took place at around 9.45am on Tuesday morning

As well as the Catholic priest, Father Jacques Hamal, the two knife-wielding attackers took two nuns and two parishioners hostage

The National Assembly's Palais Bourbon in Paris illuminated in the French flag colours in tribute to the victims of the attack in the Normandy city of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray

French religious leaders today called for authorities to boost security at places of worship. From left to right, France's Chief Rabbi Haim Korsia, French Jewish central Consistory President Joel Mergui, President of the French Buddhist Union, Olivier Reigen Wang-Genh, President of Protestant Federation of France Pastor Francois Clavairoly, Rector of the Great Mosque of Paris Dalil Boubakeur, Grigorios Ioannidis General Vicar of the Greek Orthodox metropolis, French Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois and Ahmet Ogras, vice-president of the French Council of The Muslim Faith

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for a 'merciless' response to the killing while 'horrified' ex-Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said he feared 'everything is being done to trigger a war of religions'.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement published by its Aamaq news agency. It said the killing was carried out by 'two soldiers of the Islamic State.' It added the killing was in response to its calls to target countries of the US-led coalition which is fighting ISIS.

French President Francois Hollande, visiting the scene of the attack, appealed for 'unity' in France, where political blame-trading has poisoned the aftermath of the Nice truck attack, the third major strike in the country in 18 months.

'The threat remains very high,' said Mr Hollande. 'We are confronted with a group, Daesh, which has declared war on us. We have to wage war by every means, (but through) upholding the law, which is because we are a democracy.'

Sarkozy, expected to enter a conservative primary soon for next year's presidential election, jumped on the latest incident to accuse the Socialist government of being soft on terrorism.

'We must be merciless,' Sarkozy said in a statement to reporters.

I KNOW HTML (HOW TO MEET LADIES): T-SHIRT WORN BY KILLER WHO LOVED THE SIMPSONS AND RIHANNA A younger Kermiche shown wearing a T-shirt with the slogan 'I know HTML (How to meet ladies)' He was once a sports-mad teenager who loved the Simpsons and Rihanna while friends considered him something of a peacemaker when arguments broke out. But Normandy priest killer Adel Kermiche, 19, became 'bewitched' by radicals in a matter of months and even lectured his own mother on conduct. Pictures taken of a younger Kermiche show him wearing a T-shirt with the slogan 'I know HTML (How to meet ladies)' - a joking message that plays on the HTML computer language used to create web pages. Kermiche reportedly had four siblings, one of whom was a doctor while friends said he would normally be the first to 'break up any argument'. But he became radicalised in a matter of months following the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris last January when 12 magazine staff were slaughtered by jihadists. Kermiche's mother, said to be a professor, revealed that he had started going to a mosque more often before lecturing her on her conduct, the Sun reports. She said: 'He said that one couldn't exercise one's religion peacefully in France. He spoke with words that were not his. He was bewitched.' Friends said he eventually would not reason with them and merely quoted back verses 'from the Koran'. He is known to have been friends with a notorious French jihadi Maxime Hauchard - a fanatic who appeared unmasked in videos showing the slaughter of American aid worker Peter Kassig and Syria captives. French security sources said Kermiche met former Catholic Hauchard, now 24, close to his home village of Le Bosc-Roger-en-Roumois, in Normandy. It raises the possibility that Kermiche was inspired by Hauchard to carry out Tuesday's attack in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. Kermiche was one of two attackers who stormed the church near Rouen during morning mass, slitting the throat of 84-year-old priest Jacques Hemel and leaving a worshipper with serious injuries. The 19-year-old, who was shot dead alongside the second extremist. Advertisement

'The legal quibbling, precautions and pretexts for insufficient action are not acceptable. I demand that the government implement without delay the proposals we presented months ago. There is no more time to be wasted.'

Jean-Pierre Raffarin, a former conservative prime minister who now heads the Senate's foreign affairs committee, added in a tweet: 'Horror. Everything is being done to trigger a war of religions.'

Pope Francis has expressed his 'pain and horror' at the incident with a spokesman saying the Pontiff was appalled by the 'barbaric killing' because it happened in a sacred place.

He expressed his condemnation of 'every form of hatred' and offered his prayers to those involved.

Vatican spokesman Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi described it as another act of 'absurd violence'.

Hollande called Pope France to express his 'chagrin' after the attack.

The two killers, who shouted 'Allahu Akbar', were shot dead by police marksmen as they emerged from the building, which was later searched for bombs. Police later raided a house in the area and made an arrest

French authorities say they have arrested a third man in connection with the attack. Armed police are pictured making an arrest at a house in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray

Police are still seeking the identity of the second attacker, and are continuing to carry out raids. Pictured, French officers and fire engines at the scene of the hostage taking

Units attending including the elite RAID, the anti-terrorist unit that was heavily involved in the Paris attacks last year, in which almost 150 people were murdered

French president Francois Hollande (pictured embracing the town's mayor Hubert Wulfranc) said France is 'at war' with ISIS while the terror group has claimed responsibility for the killing

French authorities admitted that both Kermiche and his partner were subject to security 'S' files, meaning they were known terror suspects who should have been under surveillance

The area of the savage ISIS attack was cordoned off and soldiers were called to the scene, which was then searched for explosives

He told the Pope that 'when a priest is attacked, it is all of France that has been hurt', according to a statement from the president's office.

Hollande assured the Pope that everything will be done to protect the churches of France and other houses of worship.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said: 'Evil attacks the weakest, denies truth and love, is defeated through Jesus Christ. Pray for France, for victims, for their communities.'

It was the extremist group's first attack against a church in the West, and fulfills longstanding threats against 'crusaders' in what the militants paint as a centuries-old battle for power.

Experts claimed that the latest attack fulfilled a two-year-old ISIS pledge to attack Christians within Europe, even calling for the assassination of Pope Francis.

'The Islamic State is persistently demoralising European unity by launching divisive attacks within its borders – the most recent attack on the Catholic Church aims directly at the French sense of identity,' Veryan Khan, editorial director for the US-based Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium, told Fox News.

Security is also being heightened at British churches following the attack, with British counter-terror police 'circulating specific advice' to churches across the UK.

'Following recent events in France, we are reiterating our protective security advice to Christian places of worships and have circulated specific advice today,' said Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu.

'We are also taking this opportunity to remind them to review their security arrangements as a precaution.'

He added: 'There is no specific intelligence relating to attacks against the Christian community in the UK.

'However, as we have seen, Daesh and other terrorist groups have targeted Christian as well as Jewish and other faith groups in the West and beyond.

'While the threat from terrorism remains unchanged at severe we urge the public to be vigilant.'

A priest, two nuns and two churchgoers were among those held hostage after the men rushed into the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, during a morning service soon after 9am

The two ISIS killers forced elderly priest Jacques Hamel to his knees before filming themselves cutting his throat, according to witnesses

Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of Rouen later confirmed that Father Jacques Hamel (pictured) had been killed in the brutal assault

French President Francois Hollande (pictured visiting the scene of the attack on Tuesday), appealed for 'unity' in France, just days after another attack on Bastille Day saw 85 people slaughtered during firework celebrations

It comes as it emerged that the building (top centre) was one of a number of Catholic churches on a terrorist 'hit list' found on a suspected ISIS extremist last April

Kermiche, the first of the two attackers to have been named, was being monitored by police using an electronic ankle tag (pictured, stock image). But the tag was deactivated for a few hours during the morning, leaving him free to slaughter the elderly priest

Between four and six people were being held by the assailants in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, near the city of Rouen

The two men held the priest and congregation of four - which included two nuns - hostage for almost an hour before being shot as they emerged on to the courtyard of the church.

A nun later gave a chilling eyewitness account of her escape. She was at the church when the terrorists stormed in, but managed to escape before the clergyman was murdered.

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous when talking to Le Figaro, said: 'They came suddenly. They took space. They spoke Arabic. I saw a knife.

Threat: ISIS warned Washington and London are next on the list of target cities. This image of the Statue of Liberty in flames was released on messaging app Telegram

'I left when they began to attack Father Jacques. I do not even know if they realised that I was leaving.'

Another nun, identified as Sister Danielle, who witnessed the horror said: 'They forced him to his knees. He wanted to defend himself. And that's when the tragedy happened.

'They recorded themselves. They did a sort of sermon around the altar, in Arabic. It's a horror,' she told BFM television.

'It was fear, especially when they entered,' she revealed in an interview with the BBC.

'When I saw them I said to myself, "well, that's it. It's over". They were so motivated.

'They told me "you Christians, you kill us".'

She added: 'Jacques loved all people regardless of religion. That is all I can say. A faithful priest, a priest who loved everybody, who loved much.'

Father Jacques was deputising while the regular parish priest was on holiday, it emerged on Tuesday afternoon.

A spokesman for the Interior Ministry in Paris had earlier said that the men had crept into the church via a back entrance during a morning service, soon after 9am. The two men seized the priest, two sisters from a local order, and two parishioners.

'A third nun escaped and raised the alarm, and anti-terrorists officers were on the scene within minutes,' said a source who lives locally. 'It appears that the priest who was celebrating the service was attacked first, and had his throat cut.

'The area around the church was sealed off, and then armed officers appeared with their weapons. I heard at least a dozen shots.'

The siege officially ended at around 11am, following the shooting of the two attackers.

French security services have been regularly criticised for the way they allow known terrorists their freedom after being found guilty of crimes.

It comes as ISIS warned that London and Washington DC are next on the list of target cities, with images threatening major world capitals being posted on messaging app Telegram, according to SITE Intelligence Group.

One shows the Statue of Liberty engulfed in flames, with the caption 'Washington soon'.

Units attending the scene on Tuesday morning included the elite RAID, the anti-terrorist unit that was heavily involved in the Paris attacks last year, in which almost 150 people were murdered.

Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said police were searching the church and its perimeter for possible explosives and terrorism investigators had been summoned.

Anti-terrorist judges immediately opened an investigation in to Tuesday's attack.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls tweeted that he was 'horrified at the barbaric attack' adding: 'All France and all Catholics are bruised.'

And at a press conference in Downing Street, Prime Minister Theresa May offered 'my condolences to the French people following the sickening attack in Northern France this morning', adding: 'Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected.'

'We all face a terror threat. If you look at the national threat level here in the United Kingdom, it is at severe. That means that a terrorist attack is highly likely.

FRANCOIS HOLLANDE: WE ARE AT WAR WITH ISIS AND THE THREAT OF FURTHER ATTACK IS STILL EXTREMELY HIGH French president Francois Hollande has pledged to fight the ISIS 'using all means possible' after an attack on a church in Normandy which resulted in the murder of an 84-year-old priest. Father Jacques Hamel was reported to have had his throat slashed during an hour-long hostage-taking incident which began as two knifemen burst into the parish church by a back door during morning mass. Speaking after meeting emergency workers and the town mayor in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, Mr Hollande named ISIS - also known as Daesh - as the source of the threat to French people. 'We are facing yet another trial, because this threat is extremely high and still remains very high after all we've lived through over the past few days and the past two years,' he said. 'We are faced with a group, Daesh, that has actually declared war, and we have to fight this war using all means possible. Of course we have to respect the rule of law, because we are a democracy.' Mr Hollande called for unity between French Catholics and members of other communities, and announced he will meet leaders of a range of faiths on Wednesday. French president Francois Hollande has pledged to fight the ISIS 'using all means possible' after an attack on a church in Normandy which resulted in the murder of an 84-year-old priest 'What these terrorists want to do is to divide us, and today after the death of this priest I am thinking of all the Catholics of France and expressing my support,' he said. 'It's not only Catholics who are involved, all the French people are involved, and that's why we must ensure cohesion. Nobody should be able to break it.' Mr Hollande warned: 'Today we must be aware that the terrorists will not give up as long as we don't stop them. That's our will and that's what we are doing tirelessly. 'The French people must realise that they are threatened. They are not the only country - Germany is also threatened - but their strength really is in cohesion.' Religious leaders issued messages of sympathy and solidarity in the wake of the killing. In a statement, the Vatican said Pope Francis shares the 'sorrow and horror' felt over the incident, adding: 'We are particularly struck because this horrible violence has occurred in a church - a sacred place where we pronounce God's love - with the barbaric murder of a priest and worshippers affected.' The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said: 'Evil attacks the weakest, denies truth and love, is defeated through Jesus Christ. Pray for France, for victims, for their communities.' The Archbishop of Rouen Dominique Lebrun, who cut short a visit to Poland to return to his diocese and was due to meet Mr Hollande on Tuesday evening, said: 'I cry to God with all men of good will. The only arms which the Catholic Church can take up are prayer and brotherhood between men.' Mr Hollande said he had come to express 'the solidarity of the whole nation' with the community affected by the 'cowardly assassination' of Father Hamel. He said he had spoken with the priest's family, as well as with some of the hostages, who expressed 'pain and sadness and also their will to understand why this should happen'. The president paid tribute to the emergency and security services, who he said had intervened 'extremely quickly' to avert further bloodshed and to assist the people who had been taken hostage. Advertisement

'What is necessary is for us all to work together, and stand shoulder to shoulder with France. We offer them every support we have in dealing with this issue and this threat that they, and the rest of us, are facing.

'But on one thing, I think, we are all absolutely clear, and that is the terrorists will not prevail.

'They are trying to destroy our way of life. They are trying to destroy our values. We have shared values and those values will win through and the terrorists will not win.'

Eulalie Garcia, who works in a beauty parlour, is on the same road as the church, and told reporters that she knew the priest, who had taught her the catechism as a young girl.

'My family has lived here for 35 years and we have always known him,' she said.

A French policeman arrests a man following a search in a house in the Normandy city of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvra. It came after a priest was butchered at a church in the town

Arrest: The man was pictured being bundled into a police car after a raid on a house in the town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray

French authorities are trying to determine whether the two men involved in the sickening attack had accomplices

'He was someone who was treasured by the community. He was very discreet and didn't like to draw attention to himself.'

She said she was very shocked by the death of the priest, who lived opposite his church. 'It can happen to anyone,' she said.

Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of Rouen later confirmed that Father Jacques Hamel had been killed.

In a statement from Krakow, Poland, where Pope Francis was visiting, Lebrun says 'I cry out to God, with all men of good will. And I invite all non-believers to unite with this cry ... The Catholic Church has no other arms besides prayer and fraternity between men.'

An Italian politician later urged Pope Francis to put the slain French priest on a fast track for sainthood.

Roberto Maroni, the president of the Lombard region, said in an appeal circulated on social media that 'Father Jacques is a martyr of faith' and requested that the pope 'immediately proclaim him St. Jacques.'

Shortly after the appeal, the hashtag (hash)santosubito, which translates as 'saint immediately,' began circulating on Twitter.

The canonisation process is a lengthy one involving two miracles attributed to the person's intercession, but in the case of a martyr only one miracle is needed, after beatification. There must first be a declaration by the Vatican that the person indeed died for the faith.

The area around the church remained cordoned off and the old town was out of bounds. Saint-Etienne du Rouvray has a population of 30,000 and is around seven miles from Rouen.

Two men armed with knives took several people hostage at Church of the Gambetta (pictured) in France's northern Normandy region on Tuesday, a police source said

French President Francois Hollande (centre) flanked by Hubert Wulfranc mayor of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray (left) and French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve (right), speaks to the press as he leaves the Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray's city hall

It emerged Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray was one of a number of Catholic churches on a terrorist 'hit list' found on a suspected ISIS terrorist. Police stand on guard in the town

A local Muslim leader said one of the men who attacked the church was on French police radar and had travelled to Turkey.

Mohammed Karabila, president of the Regional Council of the Muslim Faith for Haute-Normandie and head of the local Muslim cultural centre, said 'the person that did this odious act is known, and he has been followed by the police for at least a year and a half.'

He said the attacker 'went to Turkey and security services were alerted after this.' He had no information about the second attacker.

Mr Karabila said he was 'appalled by the death of his friend' and hoped that interfaith dialogue in his region would not be damaged.

The incident comes as France is on high alert after a Bastille Day attack that killed 84 people in Nice and a series of deadly attacks last year claimed by ISIS.

It emerged on Tuesday that Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray was one of a number of Catholic churches on a terrorist 'hit list' found on a suspected ISIS terrorist.

Sid Ahmed Ghlam, 24, was arrested in April 2015 after he called an ambulance in Paris after shooting himself in the leg.

BRUTAL PRIEST KILLING IS LATEST IN SPATE OF DEADLY ATTACKS ACROSS EUROPE IN THE LAST YEAR Tuesday's attack is the latest to hit Europe in what has been a year of bloodshed on the continent: July 24: Festival suicide bombing - A failed Syrian asylum seeker set off an explosive device near an open-air music festival in the southern city of Ansbach that killed himself and wounded a dozen others. The 27-year-old had spent time in a psychiatric facility, while the regional authorities said an there was 'likely' a jihadist motive for the attack. However a spokesman for the interior ministry later said there was as yet 'no credible evidence' of a link to Islamic extremism. July 24: Knife attack - A Syrian refugee was arrested after killing a Polish woman with a large kebab knife at a snack bar in the southwestern city of Reutlingen, in an incident police said did not bear the hallmarks of a 'terrorist attack' and was more likely a crime of passion. Three people were also injured in the assault, which ended when the 21-year-old assailant was deliberately struck by a BMW driver, believed to be the snack bar owner's son, trying to stop the man. People mourn in front of candles and flowers near the Olympia shopping mall in Munich, southern Germany, where an 18-year-old German-Iranian student ran amok on a shooting spree on July 22 July 22: Munich mall mass shooting - David Ali Sonboly, 18, shot dead nine people at a Munich shopping mall before turning the gun on himself, having spent a year planning the rampage. Police said that the German-Iranian was 'obsessed' with mass killers like Norwegian right-wing fanatic Anders Behring Breivik and had no links to the Islamic State group. July 18: Train axe attack - A 17-year-old migrant wielding an axe and a knife went on a rampage on a regional train, seriously injuring four members of a tourist family from Hong Kong and a German passer-by. ISIS group subsequently released a video purportedly featuring the assailant, named by media as Riaz Khan Ahmadzai, announcing he would carry out an 'operation' in Germany, and presenting himself as a 'soldier of the caliphate'. He is believed to have been Afghan or Pakistani. July 14: Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel ploughed a truck into a crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day in the French Riviera city of Nice, killing 84 people and injuring over 300. The Nice attack was the third major strike on France in 18 months and was claimed by ISIS. June 14: A Frenchman of Moroccan origin stabs a police commander to death outside his home in a Paris suburb and kills his partner, who also worked for the police. The attacker told police negotiators during a siege that he was answering an appeal by Islamic State. March 22: Suicide attacks claimed by ISIS kill 32 people and wound more than 300 at the Brussels airport and Maelbeek metro station, near European Union offices. They appear to have been carried out by members of the same cell that committed attacks in Paris four months earlier. November 13, 2015: Coordinated suicide attacks in Paris kill 130 people and wound more than 350 at the Bataclan concert hall, cafes and the national stadium. ISIS claims responsibility for the attacks. Advertisement

Investigators believe he was a terrorist planning 'imminent attacks' in France on the instructions of ISIS leaders.

Investigators found an arsenal of weapons in Ghlam's car, which was parked nearby, and at his student accommodation. It included Kalashnikovs, a police-issue pistol, and a number of bullet-proof vests.

Documents found at his flat and in a search of his computer and telephone, suggested Ghlam was in contact with a French speaker in Syria who had ordered him to carry out attacks on churches.

These included the Sacre-Couer basilica in Paris, and places of worship including the one in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray targeted on Tuesday.

Ghlam is currently in a high-security prison while waiting trial for 'murder, attempted murder, association with criminals with a view to commit crimes against people' and for other infractions 'connected to a terrorist organisation'.

There were reports the attackers shouted 'Daesh' – an alternative name for ISIS often used by the French government – as they ran into the church while at least one of the men was dressed in Islamic clothing

A French soldier stands guard as he prevents the access to the scene of the attack in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, Normandy, France

The computer student, who was born in Algeria, was also charged with the murder of a 32-year-old woman, who was found in the passenger seat of her burning car after his arrest.

Dance instructor Aurelie Chatelain, a mother of one, who had just attended a Pilates class, died after she was shot three times in the head, in what police believe may have been an attempt by Ghlam to hijack her car.

As part of beefed up security operations in France, some 700 schools and Jewish synagogues and 1,000 mosques are under military protection.

However with some 45,000 Catholic churches, and thousands more Protestant and evangelical churches, protecting all places of worship is a massive headache for security services.

The Nice massacre triggered a bitter political spat over alleged security failings, with the government accused of not doing enough to protect the population.

Priests Edgar Deguenon (left) and Brice de Malherbe (centre) arrive for a mass at the Notre-Dame cathedral on July 26, 2016 in Paris, in memory of the murdered priest in the Normandy city of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray

Mourners and worshippers attend a mass in memory of the slain priest, as it emerged that his killers were already known to be terror threats by French police

In Sainte-Anne-d'Auray, Brittany, bishops and local Catholics marched through the town as part of Grand Pardon celebrations

The Grand Pardon see Breton-speaking Catholics process through towns wearing traditional clothes, with Tuesday's demonstration in Sainte-Anne-d'Auray, Brittany

French far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen wrote on Twitter that the 'modus operandi obviously makes us fear a new attack from terrorist Islamists.'

Coincidentally, Catholic celebrations were taking place in the neighbouring French district of Brittany on Tuesday.

The Grand Pardon see Breton-speaking Catholics process through towns wearing traditional clothes, with Tuesday's demonstration in Sainte-Anne-d'Auray.