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PA
UK News

British churches to be 'alert' after IS murders Normandy priest

by Aaron James

The calls for UK churches to review their security measures come after Adel Kermiche, 19, publicly murdered parish priest Fr Jacques Hamel in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in the north of the country yesterday.

Mr Kermiche slit the priest's throat during a siege after chanting sermons in Arabic.

It was later revealed that Fr Hamel's church was on an Islamic State hitlist and that Mr Kermiche had previously been in prison after attempting to join Islamic State in Syria twice.

He was also already known to intelligence officials and was wearing an electronic tag.

The teenager also took two nuns and two parishioners hostage, one of whom is critically injured and remains in hospital.

French police shot him dead as he left the church in Saint-Etienne.

BFM via AP

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu told the Daily Mail: "Following recent events in France, we are reiterating our protective security advice to Christian places of worship and have circulated specific advice today.

"We are also taking this opportunity to remind them to review their security arrangements as a precaution.

"There is no specific intelligence relating to attacks against the Christian community in the UK.

"We urge the public to be vigilant. Be alert and not alarmed and report any suspicious activity via the anti-Terrorist hotline on 0800 789321. In an emergency always dial 999."

Recently, churches, mosques and synagogues as well as other places of worship were pledged £2m in government funding for "protective security measures" after a rise in hate crime following the European Union referendum.

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