Free Republic

('A war of religions': Fury in France over how known jihadists on terror watchlist were allowed to murder priest as Sarkozy calls for 'a merciless response) Fury has erupted in France as the nation's current and former leaders call for a 'merciless' response to an attack that left an 84-year-old priest dead and a nun critically injured. Two knifemen burst into a Normandy church this morning before filming themselves butchering elderly priest, Jacques Hamel, and performing a 'sermon in Arabic' at the altar, according to a witness. French president Francois Hollande said the country is now 'at war' with ISIS...

The terrorist who slit the throat of 85-year-old priest Fr. Jacques Hamel today in Normandy, France had previously been arrested on terrorism charges and was was sentenced to house arrest with an electronic monitor. He spent a year in prison after being arrested in Turkey attempting to reach Syria and join the Islamic State. He was granted unsupervised release periods from his parent's house between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The attack occurred during the church's 9 a.m. Mass.The church attacked on Tuesday morning was reportedly on an ISIS list of potential targets discovered in April 2015....