Orthodox Priest Became Victim of Shooting in Lyon France

The shooting came days after three people were killed in an attack in Nice.

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, LYON – An Orthodox priest was injured in a shooting in the city of Lyon, France on Saturday (31/10) local time. A police source told reporters that the shooter had fled the scene.

The French interior ministry said security and emergency officers were at the scene and urged people to avoid the area. The incident came days after three people were killed in a knife attack on a church in the southern French city of Nice.

French President Emmanuel Macron called the killings an “Islamic terrorist attack” and deployed thousands of additional troops to protect public sites, including places of worship.

The shooting in Lyon took place on Saturday (31/10) at around 16:00 local time when the priest closed his church, media reports said. A police source said that the attacker was armed with a saw rifle.

BBC could not immediately verify this information. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said he would form an emergency response team in coordination with Macron.

The priest was reportedly in a serious condition, with the Reuters news agency reporting that he was being treated at the site for “life-threatening injuries”. The pastor’s identity has not been published, but reports say he is a Greek national.

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