Police arrested a man after an Orthodox priest in the French city of Lyon was shot twice in the stomach on October 31, local media reported.
The priest is named Nikolaos Kakavelakis, according to French media. He was shot twice in the stomach and seriously injured at around 4pm on October 31 (local time), while closing the church in the 7th district of Lyon city.
Lyon's Le Progrès newspaper and local media reported that a man was arrested shortly after 7 p.m. at a kebab shop in the city. It is not yet clear if this person is a suspect in the attack.
The Lyon prosecutor's office said it had opened an investigation into attempted murder and was working closely with the national counter-terrorism prosecutor. The shooting has so far not been classified as a terrorist attack.
BFM TV reported that the priest, 52, was about to leave and that investigators were also looking into the possibility of a "personal dispute" in the case.
The French Interior Ministry said police and emergency services were at the scene instructing passersby to avoid the area.
The shooting comes three days after a man with a knife killed three people in a Nice church and less than two weeks after teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded outside a school near Paris.
Le Progrès said people near the scene said they heard two gunshots, followed by screams of pain. According to police, the perpetrator used a handgun.
The victim remained conscious when he was loaded into an ambulance and told witnesses he did not know who attacked him, Le Progrès said.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex said he would cut short his visit to Rouen in Normandy and return to Paris.
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A soldier stands guard near the scene of a shooting in Lyon. Photo: AFP . |
Meanwhile, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin wrote on Twitter that he was on his way to Lyon, France's third largest city.
France has stepped up security across the country following the attacks. Ministers and officials have warned of the possibility of more attacks.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on October 26 that the alert for France's security threat had been raised to the highest level. Mr Macron said an additional 4,000 troops were being deployed across France as part of Operation Sentinelle, bringing the total mobilized troops to 7,000.