Islamic State posts video of ‘Normandy attackers’

Islamic State's news agency on Wednesday posted a video of two men it said were the attackers who killed a priest in a church in France on Tuesday.

The video was posted by Amaq news agency, a day after two men burst into a Catholic church in St-Étienne-du-Rouvray in Normandy during a service, forcing Fr Jacques Hamel (85) to his knees and slitting his throat.

In the one-minute video, two men, identifying themselves as Abu Omar and Abu Jail el-Hanafy, sit on a staircase and pledge loyalty to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Islamic State’s leader.

One of the two attackers has already been named by French officials as 19-year-old Adel Kermiche.

Kermiche was under close surveillance after two failed attempts to reach Syria last year.

Second attacker

The second attacker remains unidentified. However, investigators believe he was a 19-year-old from southeastern France who was previously unknown to the police, a judicial source said on Wednesday.

The source said there was a delay in formally identifying Abdel Malik P as the second attacker because DNA tests were being carried out.

His identity card was found at the home of Adel Kermiche on Tuesday.

Police shot and killed both assailants as they emerged from the church.

Reuters