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Knife-wielding men slit French priest's throat in suspected Islamic State attack

Two attackers descended on a church in Normandy during mass on Tuesday, taking five people hostage and killing an 84-year-old priest.
Photo by Pascal Rossignol/Reuters

Two attackers descended on a church in Normandy during mass on Tuesday, taking five people hostage and reportedly slitting a priest's throat. Police say the standoff has ended and that two of the attackers are dead.

The knife-wielding men injured at least one other person during the attack. French authorities have not released the names of the hostages, but the slain priest has been identified as 84-year-old Father Jacques Hamel, the Archbishop of Rouen.

The Islamic State reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement carried by the Amaq news outlet. French President Francois Hollande also said the men claimed to be members of the terror group. One of the attackers was previously known to France's intelligence service, according to the BBC.

Hollande arrived at the church on Tuesday morning, accompanied by Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve. The latest attack comes with the country still on edge following a devastating truck attack in Nice on July 14 that left more than 80 people dead.

France has been under emergency rule since November after coordinated attacks carried out at bars, a stadium and a concert venue in Paris killing more 130 people. The emergency measures were extended to January 2017 following this month's Bastille day attack in Nice.

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