Two men armed with knives were today shot dead after murdering a parish priest and holding nuns hostage in a church in northern France.
They rushed into the place of worship at Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, in Normandy, during a morning service, soon after 9am.
A parish priest was killed by the two assailants at the church, said a spokesman for France’s Interior Ministry.
The clergyman, who has not yet been named, had his throat cut with a knife, the spokesman added.
A second of the five hostages was critically wounded.
Shots were fired by police a few minutes after the assailants entered the church and, according to local police sources, both men have now been killed.
‘They had entered the church by the back entrance, and took five hostages,’ added a local police source.
Those held included the priest, two sisters from a local order, and two parishioners, said the source.
He said that a third nun had escaped and raised the alarm.
Video footage has emerged of emergency services personnel rushing an unidentified person on a stretcher into an ambulance.
French President Francois Hollande and France’s Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve are said to be travelling to Normandy following the seige.
France's anti-terrorist prosecution unit is leading the investigation into the attack.
A security official said the identities of the attackers and motive for the attack are unclear.
Saint-Etienne du Rouvray has a population of 30,000 and is around seven miles from Rouen.
France is currently under a State of Emergency following a succession of terrorist attacks.
It is the latest incident to shock France following the Bastille Day lorry massacre in Nice on July 14 when 84 people were killed and hundreds more were seriously injured.
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