French church was on terror 'hit-list' while attacker was known to police
French authorities are being criticised for a number of 'security failures' in the lead up to the slaughter of a Catholic priest by two self-proclaimed terrorists, as it has been revealed the church was on a terror 'hit-list' and one of the attackers was being monitored by police.
WHAT WE KNOW:
Knife-wielding men storm church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray
Priest killed
Second hostage seriously hurt
Two attackers shot dead
French president labels it a terror attack
One of the men responsible for slitting the throat of priest Jacques Hamel, 84, has been identified as 19-year-old Adel Kermiche, a teenager already known to police.
Kermiche was reportedly on probation, under house arrest and wearing an ankle monitor when he entered through the back of the church in the quiet town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray.
Between the hours of 8:30am and 12:30pm, he was allowed to leave his home, meaning his electronic tag wouldn't sound an alarm. It was in these hours that he targeted the church.
Along with an accomplice, Kermiche took two nuns and two worshippers hostage. One of the nuns managed to escape as the priest was killed while the other is still fighting for her life in hospital.
Both men were shot dead by police close to an hour after the siege began.
French President Francois Hollande said the attack was committed in the name of ISIS.
Kermiche had previously attempted to travel to Syria twice to fight for Islamic State before he was arrest in April 2015.
After a short trial he was jailed and released in March. His parents reside in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray.
Father Hamel was loved by the community and had retired almost a decade earlier. It has been revealed he was only conducting mass at the church because the parish priest was away.
The church in Normandy was on a 'hit-list' discovered by police in the apartment of 24-year-old Jihadist Sid Ahmed Ghlam last year.
Ghlam was allegedly instructed to target churches, including Sacre-Couer basilica in Paris and the location of Tuesday's attack.
Police have come under scrutiny for the lack of security measures in the wake of the tragedy.
The nun who managed to escape from the hostage situation, Sister Danielle, said the men filmed the slaughter.
“They forced him to his knees and he tried to defend himself and that’s when the drama began,” she said.
“They filmed themselves. It was like a sermon in Arabic around the altar,” the nun added.
Arriving in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, President Hollande said the duo's attack was "a cowardly assassination".
Mr Hollande confirmed the attack was carried out by "terrorists in the name of Daesh" - which is another name for ISIS.
French interior ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet spoke to media after the attack, confirming five people were inside the Normandy church at the time.
France's anti-gang brigade had surrounded the church before the two attackers came out and "were killed by police", Mr Brandet said.
He confirmed one of the other hostages was seriously injured in the attack, and was now between "life and death".
Former French Prime Minister Alain Juppe confirmed the priest was murdered at the scene and said his thoughts are with the families of those involved in the drama.
"Horror and barbarism in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray," he said.
"Thoughts for the victims, their families. We are all shocked."
Mr Hollande said his country needed to win the war on terror.
"Daesh has declared war on us. We have to win that war," he said.
"All people feel affected so we must have cohesion. Terrorists will not give up on anything until we stop them."
The men entered the Church of the Gambetta at about 9.45am local time. By 11.15am police had declared the attack over but urged the public to stay away from the area.
Police had scoured the grounds of the Normandy church for possible explosives before declaring the area safe.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has expressed his horror at what he says is a "barbaric attack on a church".
The killings come just two weeks after a man ploughed a truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day, leaving 84 people dead.
Islamic State terrorists claimed responsibility for that attack.
Article by Catherine Healey, Ben Brennan and Kamilia Palu
