Europe

Greek Priest Shot in France

HIGH ALERT

The shooting comes as the country is on high alert for Islamist terror attacks.

GettyImages-1229379284_haraj1
Philippe Desmazes/AFP via Getty

A Greek Orthodox priest was shot at a church in Lyon, France on Saturday, increasing already sky-high tensions in the country following several religiously motivated attacks. The priest has been identified as Nikolaos Kakavelakis and was shot two times by an assailant who reportedly fled the scene. He received treatment for life-threatening injuries on site. A man fitting the suspect's description was reportedly detained hours after the shooting but investigators are still working to determine his identity. While a motive for the shooting is not yet known, government ministers had been warning of more Islamist attacks. Just two days ago, a man shouted “Allahu Akbar!” before beheading a woman and killing two others in a church in Nice. Two weeks ago, a Paris teacher who showed cartoons of Prophet Mohammad to his students was beheaded outside the school. French President Emmanuel Macron has ordered thousands of soldiers to protect worship places and schools.

Read it at Reuters