France church attack: police tried to negotiate with attackers who used hostages as human shields

Two Isis supporters armed with knives have been shot dead after murdering a priest at a Catholic church in Normandy. The French interior ministry said the attackers took hostages including nuns and members of the congregation after storming in during morning mass. One hostage was in a life-threatening condition, another was lightly wounded and three others were freed unharmed. Local reports said the elderly priest, Father Jacques Hamel, had served the church for decades and had his throat slit. The attackers were “neutralised” by security forces, a spokesperson for France's Police Nationale said, adding that security assessments continued. The two attackers stormed the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray during a service at around 10am local time (9am BST) on Tuesday, taking the priest, two nuns and several members of the congregation hostage. The crisis continued for around an hour before the armed men were shot dead by police when they emerged in a courtyard outside the church.