French government faces security criticisms after church attack
By Chine Labbé and Michel Rose
PARIS/SAINT-ETIENNE-DU-ROUVRAY,
France (Reuters) - France's government faced criticism of its security
record on Wednesday in the wake of revelations that one of the
assailants who slit the throat of a priest at a church altar was a known
would-be jihadist under police surveillance.
President
Francois Hollande met interfaith leaders in an effort to promote
national unity. But his predecessor and potential opponent in a
presidential election next year, Nicolas Sarkozy, said the government
must take stronger steps to track known Islamist sympathizers.
Tuesday's
attackers interrupted a church service, forced 85-year-old Roman
Catholic priest Father Jacques Hamel to his knees at the altar and slit
his throat. As they came out of the church shouting "Allahu akbar" ("God
is Greatest"), they were shot and killed by police.
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