Father Hamel had been murdered in his church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray (Seine-Maritime) on July 26, 2016 by two terrorists who declared their allegiance to the Islamic State, Adel Kermiche and Abdel Malik Petitjean, and who were shot dead by the police. Four other people are suspected of being involved in the attack and will be charged at the special court in Paris, Ouest-France reported on Friday July 9. The trial is expected to last several weeks, from February 14 to March 11, 2022. Rachid Kassim, one of the four accused, is believed to be in the Iraqi-Syrian zone and is to be charged with accessory to murder.
The other three accused are said to be linked to the two terrorists. They are all currently in custody. One of them might even have travelled to Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray before the attack to support the two murderers. The three men, Jean-Philippe Steven, Farid K. and Yassine S., are apparently accused of knowing about the criminal plans of the two terrorists and are to be tried for “criminal terrorist conspiracy”, Ouest-France reports.