Second French church attacker was on security watch list

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IANS Paris
Last Updated : Jul 28 2016 | 7:42 PM IST

The second suspect in the church attack in Normandy, France, on Tuesday was known to the security services and was on a watch list as a potential security threat since June, local media reported on Thursday.

The anti-terrorism investigators identified the second attacker as Abdel-Malik Nabil Petitjean, born in Saint-Die-des-Vosges, northeastern France, Xinhua news agency reported.

Like the other attacker, Adel Kermiche, had been on a watch list since after he tried to enter Syria from Turkey.

Petitjean and Kermiche seized six hostages in a church in France's Normandy, before slitting the throat of an 84-year-old priest and seriously wounding another hostage. They were shot dead by police.

The two teenagers appeared in a video broadcast by Amaq, official news agency linked to Islamic State terrorist group pledging allegiance to them.

--IANS

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First Published: Jul 28 2016 | 7:26 PM IST

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