A French soldier stands behind a cordon on October 31, 2020 in Lyon near the scene where an attacker armed with a sawn-off shotgun wounded an Orthodox priest in a shooting before fleeing, said a police source.AFP / Philippe DESMAZE
Lyon: An attacker armed with a sawn-off shotgun on Saturday wounded an Orthodox priest in a shooting in the French city of Lyon before fleeing, said a police source.
The 52-year-old priest, who has Greek nationality, was closing his church mid-afternoon when the attack happened and is now in a serious condition in hospital, said the source, who asked not to be named.
The priest was shot in the liver at point-blank range, according to sources close to the enquiry.
No weapon was found at the scene of the shooting. The interior ministry tweeted that "an incident is underway" in the southeastern city of Lyon.
"Security and emergency personnel are at the scene," the ministry added, warning people to "avoid the area" where the attack took place. The search for the assailant was underway.
The small Orthodox church is situated in a residential area of Lyon which was especially quiet due to the new lockdown measures introduced in France on Friday to stem the growing coronavirus pandemic.
In Paris, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin opened a crisis cell meeting to consider the situation.
Prime Minister Jean Castex spoke of "the government's determination to allow each and everyone to practice their worship in complete safety and in complete freedom."
