Orthodox priest in France shot at church; attacker sought

A Greek Orthodox priest was shot at a church in Lyon, France, on Saturday, and authorities are searching for the attacker.

The reason for the shooting was unclear. It came two days after a knife attack at a Catholic church in the French city of Nice that killed three people, and amid ongoing tensions over a French newspaper’s publication of caricatures mocking the Muslim Prophet Muhammad. Authorities are investigating the knife attack as suspected terrorism.

In the Saturday incident, the 52-year-old priest was closing up his church at around 4 p.m. when he was approached by a man with a hunting rifle. The suspect fired more than one shot, hitting the priest in the abdomen. He was in serious condition.

This is a breaking story; check back for updates.

The Associated Press contributed.

source: nbcnews.com