Broadcaster France Info reported that he had attempted to travel to Syria.
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The arrest occurred three days after two 19-year-old men, Adel Kermiche and Abdel-Malik Nabir Petitjean, filmed themselves slitting the throat of an 85-year-old priest Tuesday.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility and released a video Wednesday allegedly showing Kermiche and Petitjean clasping hands and pledging allegiance to IS.
“Following DNA tests, it emerged that the terrorist has been identified as Abdel Malik Nabil Petitjean”, a source in the Paris prosecutor’s office was quoted as saying by French media.
The man also appears to be a suspect that police were looking for in recent days after a tipoff from a foreign intelligence service that he was planning an attack, the police sources said.
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One of the attackers had been detained for almost 10 months after twice trying to travel to Syria, but he was released in March over the objection of prosecutors, according to French officials.
The drama was captured on Tuesday morning by a 17-year-old who was filming it from the window of his apartment facing the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray.
During a news conference in Florida yesterday, the US Republican presidential nominee brought up the murder of an elderly French priest, and said a friend who recently visited the country told him: “I wouldn’t go to France”. They took hostages, one of whom was badly wounded during the attack.
Hooded police officers conduct a search in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, Normandy, France, following an attack on a church that left a priest dead, July 26, 2016.
“We were informed by the French on 12 May 2015 that Adel Kermiche meant to travel from Geneva to Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokchen airport under the name Kevin Kermiche”, he said.
Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Kermiche twice tried to travel to Syria under a false identity.
Kermiche had been arrested and wore an electronic bracelet as he awaited trial for charges of membership in a terrorist organization.
A neighbour of Kermiche in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, who gave his name only as Redwan, said he had known who was responsible as soon as he heard about the attack.
A youth believed to be 16 was detained after the church attack and is still being held for questioning.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the country’s anti-terrorism operation “Sentinelle” will increase military presence to 10,000 soldiers, 4,000 assigned to Paris and the remaining distributed throughout the province.
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She said the family, who had flagged him to authorities, did not know where to turn.
