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One of the Normandy church murderers was a convicted terrorist who was meant to be living with his parents with an electronic tag on his ankle, according to security sources.

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

Two attackers were shot dead by police commandos during the siege at Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray this morning, and their identities are already known to the authorities.

One, who lived close to the church, is said to have left for Syria in 2015 to try and join Islamic State, but he was arrested in Turkey.

He was jailed for terrorist offences following a short trial in France, before being released on March 2nd this year.

(Image: Sky News)

Bail conditions included returning to live with his parents, wearing an electronic tag, and reporting to his local police station.

According to his bail conditions, the electronically tagged terrorist was allowed out unsupervised between 8.30am and 12.30pm.

Today’s attack took place between 9.45am and 11am.

(Image: Sky News)

But this did not stop him becoming involved in today’s atrocity, in which Father Jacques Hamel, 86, had his throat cut.

Neither of the Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray attackers have yet been named.

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

The church where a priest was killed after having his throat cut by two knife-wielding hostage-takers was on the 'kill list' of a suspected ISIS terrorist arrested last year.

The two attackers entered the Church of the Gambetta at around 9.45am local time (8.45am UK time) during morning prayers and took a priest, two nuns and two worshippers hostage.

Parish priest Jacques Hamel was killed and a worshipper is fighting for life after being attacked before police shot the two knifemen dead.

It has since emerged Sid Ahmed Ghlam, 24, - who was arrested in Paris last April - had the name of the church in a series of documents believed to be related to the planning of terror attacks.

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

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 today.

The two attackers entered the Church of the Gambetta at around 9.45am local time (8.45am UK time) during morning prayers.

They took the priest, two nuns and two worshippers hostage and local media reports suggest the knifemen shouted "Allahu Akbar" as they launched the attack.

It has since emerged the church was on a 'kill list' of a suspected ISIS terrorist arrested in Paris last April for allegedly plotting "imminent attacks" in France.

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French president Francois Hollande named ISIS in a speech confirming the incident as a terrorist attack while re-iterating the country is "at war".

He said: "We are facing a group - Daesh - who have declared war and we have to fight this war using all means possible.

(Image: REUTERS)

"What these terrorists wants to do is to divide us."

A third nun is said to have escaped the siege, in Rouen, Normandy, and raised the alarm.

The hour-long armed stand-off was ended when the hostage-takers were shot dead.

(Image: Getty Images) (Image: Getty Images) (Image: Getty Images)

Police found the body of the priest - named locally as 84-year-old Jacques Hamel - inside the church.

Mourners have paid tribute to the elderly priest, posting pictures of him on Twitter wearing his Catholic robes.

The Vatican has described the attack as a "barbarous killing" made even worse as it was carried out in a "sacred place".

One of the worshippers is said to be "between life and death" as they fight for their life in hospital after suffering serious injuries.

The incident is being treated as a suspect terror attack and the anti-terror of the French prosecutor's office have now launched an investigation into the attack.

France's Interior Ministry confirmed the priest and two hostage-takers had died at the scene.

A local police source said the men stormed a back entrance of the church before taking the hostages.

Interior Ministry Spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet told a press-conference at the scene that sniffer dogs are searching the area for potential booby traps.

He said: "We face a dramatic situation that we have to face up to once again, less than two weeks following the Nice tragedy.

(Image: Google) (Image: Getty Images)

"The investigation will continue throughout the day. We are at the start of the operation. The priority was to make sure we got the assailants and rescued as many hostages as possible.

"Unfortunately the toll has been extremely high. One person was assassinated and another was seriously injured."

French prime minister Manuel Valls said in a message on Twitter: "Horror in the face of the barbaric attack on a church in Seine-Maritime. All of France and all Catholics are bruised. We stand together."



In a message on Twitter, 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."

(Image: Google)

One resident said he was walking to church as the horror broke out and he was told to go home and stay indoors by armed officers.

He told French newspaper MetroNews: "I was going to go out and do my shopping when the police started shouting me to go straight home and barricade myself.

"There is a lot of agitation, the police are bulletproof vest and armed."