France: 2 attackers, 1 hostage killed in Normandy church attack

Interior Ministry spokesperson said that President Francois Hollande is en route to the town of Saint-Etienne-en-Rouvray.

Two attackers seized hostages in a church near the Normandy city of Rouen on Tuesday, killing one hostage by slitting their throat before being killed by police, a security official said.

The identities of the attackers and motive for the attack are unclear, according to the official, who was not authorised to be publicly named.

French President Francois Hollande and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve are en route to the town of Saint-Etienne-en-Rouvray where the hostage-taking took place, Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said on France-Info radio.

Live TV images showed police had blocked off the roads around the church and paramedics were seen pulling stretchers out of ambulances.

The hostages included a priest, two nuns and two worshippers according to BFM TV.

The incident comes as France is under high alert after an attack in Nice that killed 84 people and a string of deadly attacks last year claimed by the Islamic State group.

France is also under a state of emergency and has extra police presence in the wake of the July 14 Nice attack.