When they were eventually let go, the two attackers followed them out of the church shouting “Allahu Akbar”, Mr Molins said.
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PARIS One of the knifemen who attacked a church in northern France on Tuesday has been identified as 19-year-old Adel Kermiche, who was under close surveillance after two failed attempts to reach Syria last year, France’s anti-terror prosecutor said.
An eyewitness identified as Sister Danielle was in the church when he was killed.
The attack in the Normandy town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray came as France was still coming to terms with the massacre in the French Riviera city of Nice claimed by the Islamic State group.
“They did a sort of sermon around the altar, in Arabic”.
The director of Le Monde, Jerome Fenoglio, said in an editorial that his newspaper would stop publishing photographs of attackers in a bid to prevent the “possible posthumous glorifying effects” and called for news media to exercise more responsibility.
“He was mesmerized, like in a sect”, his mother said in an interview previous year after her son was detained and returned to France after trying to make it to Syria.
Pope Francis, visiting Krakow, Poland, for World Youth Day celebrations, said of the slaying of the priest, “It’s war, we don’t have to be afraid to say this”.
The attack was claimed by the Islamic State group, however, it was not clear if the two men were inspired from afar by jihadist propaganda, or were following direct orders.
They said Abdel Malik “strongly resembles” a man hunted by anti-terrorism police in the days before the attack over fears he was about to carry out an act of terror.
Hollande was presiding over a defense council and cabinet meeting Wednesday after speaking with Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Muslim and Jewish leaders. The president told the pontiff “that when a priest is attacked, it is all France that is wounded and that everything would be done to protect its churches and places of worship”, according to a statement from Hollande’s office.
The identity of the second attacker has not been made public.
Two men took a priest, two nuns and two churchgoers hostage in a church in the town in France’s Normandy region, BFMTV reported.
“I told the president it was urgently necessary for this to never happen again”, he said, struggling to speak as he fought back tears.
The development will pile further pressure on France’s security services, which were already facing criticism for their response to the Nice attack which left 84 people dead. Upon his return to France he was placed under surveillance and barred from leaving his local area. “I was sure”, the 18-year-old said, adding that Kermiche told friends that he had been promised women and the chance to “save his brothers” in Syria. Let us stand together.
A police source said it appeared that the priest had his throat slit attempting to behead.
Just as ISIS is increasing its attacks we’ve got to go on the offensive to find those involved with this group and end their ability to threaten us and other innocent people elsewhere. “Before they used to strike the police, passers-by, or those on holiday – now they are targeting those who are religious”, he said.
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Kermiche was known to security services, having twice been arrested on his way to Syria, and was under house arrest and wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet at the time of the attack.
