Mum of ISIS priest killer describes her son as ‘soft’ and a ‘good Frenchman’ just days after he carried out brutal attack
It has also been revealed that French Intelligence were passed a picture of the attacker days before he brutally slayed a priest during mass
Intelligence services received a warning that an Islamic State terrorist was preparing to strike four days before he murdered a Roman Catholic priest it emerged today.
In yet another shocking security lapse, 19-year-old Abdelmalik Petitjean was left to kill Father Jacques Hamel, 86, in the Normandy town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray on Tuesday.
His photo had been widely distributed to police stations after the anonymous tip-off ‘from abroad’ on July 22nd.
It was received with a colour photograph of Petitjean, and said he "was preparing to take part in an attack on national territory".
The warning went on: "He’s already in France, and is preparing to act alone, or with others."
While no names were contained in the warning, Petitjean was a French national from an Alpine town, where he was educated and well known to the police.
Both Petitjean and his accomplice, Adel Kermiche, also 19, were also on terrorist watch lists, and should technically have been under surveillance.
Kermiche even wore an electronic tag, but it had been switched for four hours every morning to allow him a break from probation conditions set when he left prison in March.
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Police sources said the warning about Petitjean was received by Uclat, their counter terrorism coordination unit.
‘It was being acted upon, and everything was being done to track the terrorist down,’ said a source involved in the investigation into Father Jacques’ death.
‘Officers across the country were engaged in the race to find this suspect, but he evaded capture’.
Petitjean was put on a so-called Security “S” List in June, because of his obsession with jihad, and his contacts with Isis.
Petitjean’s family home in the town of Aix-les-Bains, in the eastern Savoie department of France, has since been raided by officers.
His mother told them that she had not been in contact with Petitjean ‘since Tuesday’, suggesting he may have spoken to her just before attacking the church.
Kermiche also lived with his parents in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, near Rouen, where Petitjean linked up with him.
An identity card belonging to Petitjean was found at Kermiche’s family home, which is close to the church.
Before carrying out their barbaric crimes, the pair recorded a video, in which they held up an Isis sign and swore allegiance to the group’s leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi.
As well as murdering Father Jacques, the self-styled ‘soldiers’ took three nuns and two parishioners hostage, maiming one of the captives.
Both terrorists were shot dead by police special forces commandoes as they tried to escape from the church.
There have been widespread calls for President Francois Hollande and senior ministers to resign following the security failures that have contributed to recent atrocities.
The majority of those responsible for terrorist attacks which have caused up to 250 deaths in France over the past 18 months were known to the authorities.
Many were on S-lists, while others should have been serving prison sentences after travelling to and from Isis terrorist camps in Syria.
There is also widespread anger at the way the homegrown terrorists have been able to mass weapons in France.
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