Investigators are trying to identify a jihadist based in Syria, with whom the assailant of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine communicated in Russian on Instagram.
It was located by its IP address.
This is a new avenue that investigators are exploring, six days after the Conflans-Sainte-Honorine attack.
Samuel Paty's murderer was in contact on Instagram with a Russian-speaking jihadist in Syria.
The two men communicated in Russian.
The jihadist has been in northwestern Syria, in Idleb, thanks to his IP address.
Investigators must now identify precisely this correspondent, and in particular know if it is a regular contact, or even a possible sponsor.
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References to the Islamic State
It was also on Instagram that the killer broadcast an audio message in a hesitant Russian, just after his act.
Breathless, he explains that he avenged the prophet, shown in an insulting way, according to him, by Samuel Paty.
And ask his brothers to pray that Allah "accepts him as a martyr".
Sign, therefore, that he was ready to die at the end of his act.
Also in Russian, two words refer to the Islamic State.
With this audio message, two tweets: one claiming his act with the photo of his victim's head.
The second, naming the teacher: "It's Monsieur Paty".