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French Police Hunt for Assailant Who Shot, Wounded Orthodox Priest

Reuters

   PARIS - A Greek Orthodox priest was shot and injured Saturday at a
   church in the center of the French city of Lyon by an assailant who
   then fled, a police source and witnesses said.

   The priest was fired on twice around 4 p.m. (1500 GMT) as he was
   closing the church, and he was being treated for life-threatening
   injuries, the source said.

   Witnesses said the church was Greek Orthodox. Another police source
   said the priest was of Greek nationality and had been able to tell
   emergency services as they arrived that he had not recognized his
   assailant.

   A Greek government official identified the priest as Nikolaos
   Kakavelakis.

   There was no indication from French officials that the attack was
   related to terrorism. The French anti-terrorism prosecutor's office had
   not been brought in, as is normal when law enforcement officials
   suspect a terrorism link, France's BFMTV broadcaster said.

   Other attacks

   The incident came two days after a man shouting "Allahu Akbar!" (God is
   greatest) beheaded a woman and killed two other people in a church in
   Nice.

   Two weeks ago, a schoolteacher in a Paris suburb was beheaded by an
   18-year-old attacker who was apparently incensed by the teacher's
   showing of a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad during a class.

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