File Photo: Egypt's Grand Mufti Shawki Allam (Photo: AFP)
Egypt’s Grand Mufti Shawki Allam condemned on Tuesday a "terrorist operation” that took place in a Church in northern France following a hostage situation, resulting in the death of a priest and critical injuries to another.
In a statement, Shawki Allam said that "what the extremists did was a criminal act that dissents from what God has commanded in all religions," adding that, "all divine religions maintain the necessity of preserving religion, life, intellect, progeny, and wealth."
Egypt's top cleric extended his sincere condolences to the families of the victims and the French people, wishing speedy recovery to the injured.
Earlier on Tuesday, two assailants slit the throat of an 84-year-old priest at a church in in the Normandy town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray.
Five people were inside the church when it came under attack, French interior ministry spokesman Pierre Henry Brandet said. Three of the hostages were freed unharmed, and another was fighting for their life according to the spokesman.
The Islamic State group said on Tuesday that two assailants who stormed the church were its “soldiers”.
Short link: