A video shot by an eyewitness shows the dramatic moment French police raided a church in Normandy to save a nun being held hostage by two ISIS-supporting attackers who had slit the throat of a Catholic priest.
You can watch the video, which was obtained by the French newspaper Le Telegramme, above.
Both attackers were shot dead by police at the scene. One of the killers, Adel Kermiche, 19, had been arrested for trying to join ISIS in Syria, but was released from custody with an electronic monitoring bracelet, authorities said. ISIS has taken credit for the attack in a statement, calling the two men “soldiers” of the Islamic State. The terrorist group also released a video showing the two men pledging allegiance to the organization and its leader that was recorded prior to the attack.
The priest, Father Jacques Hamel, 86, was brutally killed after the attackers carried out a “sermon” at the church’s altar. Four others were taken hostage, including the nun seen in the video, a second nun and two parishioners who were at the church for mass. The other nun was critically injured, but is expected to survive.
In the video, heavily armed police can be seen gathering outside the church as the witness says he heard a gunshot. He then says someone inside the church is shouting “Allahu Akbar,” and says “he has explosives, f*ck.”
After the police advance to the building, a terrified nun can be seen being rushed away from the church to safety.