Petitjean: From good kid to 'cold-blooded' priest killer

(Baonghean.vn) - Abdel Malik Petitjean, 19 years old, was identified as the second attacker in the murder of an 86-year-old French priest at a church near the city of Rouen, Northern France. Petitjean was described as an ordinary person.

Abdel Malik Petitjean, 19, the second suspect in the attack on the church and the killing of a priest. Photo: AFP.

Unlike his 19-year-old co-defendant, Adel Kermiche, Petitjean’s neighbors never suspected he was radicalized. Police only learned of him last month when he tried to flee to Syria.

Petitjean was born into a family of Algerian descent and lived in the quiet lakeside town of Aix-les-Bains in eastern France, a popular tourist destination, 700 km from Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, where the two “cold-blooded” men carried out the hostage-taking on July 26.

Petitjean and Kermiche, also a Frenchman of Algerian origin, slit the 86-year-old priest's throat and killed him. One parishioner was seriously injured, while the other hostages escaped unharmed. Both attackers were killed by police.

“What was going on in Petitjean's mind?”

Djamel Tazghat, the manager of a local mosque on the outskirts of Aix-les-Bains, said he recognized the young man in the video posted by AMAQ news agency on July 27.

“I loved him very much. We never had any problems with him at the mosque. He never showed any strange behavior, he always smiled… It was unbelievable. All the worshippers were shocked because he was always known as a kind and calm person. We did not see any extremist thoughts in him. What was going on in his head?”

Police found Petitjean’s identity papers at Kermiche’s home. He had never been convicted in France, so police had no records of his fingerprints or DNA.

Petitjean’s face was so disfigured that he was unrecognizable after being shot by police, so his identity had to be confirmed using a DNA sample from his mother. It was not until June that he was “noticed” by French police and placed on the “S list” of people who pose a potential threat to national security, after he attempted to flee to Syria from Türkiye, sources said.

Four days before the attack, French anti-terrorism police sent out a text message saying they had received “credible” information about someone “intending to carry out an attack on national territory.”

Three members of Petitjean's family have been questioned. Unlike Kermiche or other jihadists who have carried out recent attacks in Europe, there is no indication that Petitjean suffered from psychological problems.

Adel Kermiche (left) and Abdel Malik Petitjean in a video posted by IS on the AMAQ website. Photo: Ibtimes.

"Unbelievable"

After graduating from high school in 2015, Petitjean took on a part-time job as a salesman. His profile shows he enjoys science fiction movies, video games, music and boxing.

“It’s hard to believe,” said Petitjean’s friend, Hakim, 17. “Petitjean is against IS. He doesn’t have any extremist thoughts.”

His mother, Yamina Boukessoula, denied her son was involved in the attack, speaking to AFP hours before the verdict. “My son is a good citizen. He is a good person. He had nothing to do with the attack,” she said.

She said Petitjean left home on July 25 to visit his uncle in the northeastern city of Nancy.

The last message she received was on the morning of July 26, just before the attack: “Don't worry, everything is fine… I love you.”

By the afternoon of July 27, Mrs. Boukessoula still did not believe that her son was involved in the attack, sending Petitjwean the last text message: “Malik, it’s me, I don’t know where you are. I have very bad news. Call me. The police came and said nonsense. I hope nothing happens to you. I love you. I miss you very much…”.

Lan Ha

(According to AFP)