France: Identifying the identity of 1 of 2 attackers at the church

(Baonghean.vn) – Police said that one of the two attackers at the church of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray on July 26 was identified as Adel Kermiche.

Adel Kermiche, one of the two attackers at the church of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. Photo: Facebook

According to the French anti-terrorism agency's records, Adel Kermiche was born on March 25, 1997 in Mont-Saint-Aignan (Seine-Maritime). In March 2015, Kermiche tried to travel to Syria via Germany and was arrested by the authorities. In May 2015, he tried to travel to Syria via Switzerland and was arrested again when he arrived in Türkiye.

Kermiche was charged with terrorist links in March 2015 and was detained after a second failed attempt to travel to Syria. He was released in March 2016 and placed in the custody of his parents, with an electronic bracelet that police checked weekly.

The second attacker's identity is still being determined. According to the prosecutor, one of the terrorists had a "fake explosive belt and three knives around his waist" while the other was holding a "timed device surrounded by aluminum foil" and was wearing a "backpack containing a fake explosive device".

At around 9:25 a.m. on July 26, Adel Kermiche and an accomplice armed with knives attacked a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. They took six hostages, including a priest, three nuns, and two parishioners. One of the three nuns escaped and called the police for help.

Security forces were present and negotiated with the terrorists but were unsuccessful. When the three hostages, including two nuns and one parishioner, left the church, the two terrorists shouted "Allah Akbar". BIS forces killed them shortly afterwards.

The attack left 86-year-old Father Jacques Hamel dead and three others injured. According to testimony from a nun who escaped, one of the two terrorists “likely gave a sermon around the altar in Arabic” before the priest’s execution.

After the attack, President François Hollande declared it a "cowardly attack" by "two terrorists calling themselves Daesh." Minutes later, IS claimed responsibility for the attack through QAMA, calling the two attackers its "soldiers."

Police have arrested an Algerian minor in connection with the attack in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray and searched Adel Kermiche's home./.

An Vien

(According to Le Monde)