One of the killers in the church attack in France was a French 19-year-old named as Adel Keremich, who was being monitored by electronic tag after being jailed for twice attempting to join ISIS in Syria.
According to the Daily Mail, after being released from jail early, Keremich’s bail terms allowed him to be unsupervised between 8.30am and 12.30pm. The attack happened between 9 A.M. and 11 A.M. According to reports, Adel is understood to have forced the elderly priest to kneel while his accomplice, who also lived locally and was on a terrorist watch list, filmed the brutal killing.
Sky sources: one of the two attackers who killed a priest in a church in France has been identified as Adel Kermich pic.twitter.com/lqubERDdlN
— SkyNews (@SkyNews) July 26, 2016
What Happened?
Two ISIS knifemen, one of whom was Adel Keremich, stormed a church in Normandy and forced an elderly priest to kneel before filming themselves butchering him and performing a ‘sermon in Arabic’ at the altar.
According to The Sun:
A nun who was in the church during the attack said the priest was forced to the ground before his throat was slit.
“They forced him to his knees. He wanted to defend himself. And that’s when the tragedy happened,” said the nun, identified as Sister Danielle, who called Father Hamel “a great priest.”
Who Is Adel Keremich?
Adel Keremich was a 18-year-old French citizen, and one of the men responsible for the attack on the church in Normandy, France. According to The Sun, Kermiche, who lived close to the church, is said to have left for Syria in 2015 to try and join the Islamic State, but he was arrested in Turkey. He attempted to get to Syria once in March when he was a minor, however he was arrested in Munich, Germany, returned to France and placed under judicial control in his parents’ home in Saint-Etienne-du Rouvray.
Then again in May, after he turned 18, he tried to get to Syria with a childhood friend. They attempted to go through Switzerland, flying out of Geneva on May 12. On May 14, he was arrested at Istanbul airport and returned to Switzerland where he was arrested. Adel had been under investigation for criminal association in relation with a terrorist enterprise and remanded in custody 10 months.
🇫🇷⚡ Un des tueurs du prêtre s'appelle Adel Kermich selon la presse britannique #SaintEtienneDuRouvray #Daech pic.twitter.com/YevDnOteuZ
— Brèves de presse (@Brevesdepresse) July 26, 2016
Adel’s mother explained to Swiss media outlets back in 2015 about how her son became quickly radicalized after the Charlie Hebdo attacks. She stated that they were a turning point for him.
She said: “The Charlie Hebdo killing was like a detonator for him.”
Kermiche’s mother – a teacher – also explained how he changed around her, saying: “From January [2015] this happy, kind young man who would go out with friends – closed himself off. He obsessively attended his local mosque. It was like he had been brainwashed and bewitched – preaching to his non-practicing family [source].”
After his arrests, Adel was forced to live with his parents who were located not even 200 yards from the church.
