At the Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray trial, the evasion of intelligence agents

• This Monday, at the opening of the trial of the Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray attack, among the five intelligence agents of the Paris police headquarters (DRPP) called to testify, four produced medical certificates in which they are declared “not psychologically fit to be heard”.

• “An evasion”, according to Francis Szpiner, who defends relatives of Father Hamel who risks fueling “a feeling of suspicion”.

• The director of the service, describing her agents as being "psychologically broken" both by this quotation which they experience as a "questioning of their probity" and by the attack at the police headquarters which took place precisely in this service, offered to replace them at the helm.

At the specially composed Court of Assizes in Paris,

Usually it is a mere formality.

But this Monday, at the opening of the trial of the Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray attack, the traditional call for witnesses took a much more controversial turn than usual.

Among the five intelligence agents from the Paris police headquarters (DRPP) called to testify, four produced medical certificates in which they were declared "not psychologically fit to be heard during the trial".

In these documents, which

was able to consult, the words used are strictly the same, although they are signed by different practitioners.

The citation of these agents, by a lawyer for the civil parties, follows the revelations, at the beginning of 2018, from Mediapart and Le

that the investigators of this intelligence service would have infiltrated five days before the assassination of Father Hamel the Telegram channel of Adel Kermiche, one of the two assailants.

A channel on which this radicalized 19-year-old, already well known to the intelligence services for having tried twice to join Syria, does not hide his desire to take action.

"Cut off their heads so that the hearts of the Crusaders tremble", he wrote for example on July 22.

But if a note is well written, the information would not have been transmitted to the DGSI, even though the Paris police headquarters is not competent in the Rouen region.

According to Mediapart, this note was subsequently postdated to hide this inaction.

"It's not about trying the police"

"We want to understand" if the attack could have been avoided, hammered at the hearing Me Méhana Mouhou who defends Guy Coponet, seriously injured during the attack.

“An evasion”, according to Francis Szpiner, who defends relatives of Father Hamel who risks fueling “a feeling of suspicion”.

And the tenor to insist: "It is not a question of putting the police on trial" but of shedding light on the circumstances of this terrorist attack.

A sentiment shared by defense lawyers.

Only the public prosecutor sees no difficulty in ignoring these testimonies.

In a long letter sent to the Assize Court, the director of the service, describing her agents as being "psychologically broken" both by this quote which they experience as a "questioning of their probity" and by the attack on the prefecture of police which precisely took place in this service, proposed to replace them at the bar.

"We don't testify by proxy," got carried away Christian Saint-Palais, the lawyer for Father Hamel's sisters.

Especially, he recalls, that the latter was not at the head of the service at the time of the attack.

And to insist: “If there is a place where we can understand the trauma of an attack, it is here.

»

The president, Franck Zientara, should indicate in the coming days whether or not she ignores these testimonies.

It can also request new medical expertise.

Justice

Attack of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray: At the trial of the assassination of Father Hamel, the costume "too heavy to wear" of an accused

Society

Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray attack: Despite "the quest for truth", the opening of the trial "rekindles the wound" in the town

• Terrorism

• Intelligence

• Attack at the Paris police headquarters

• Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray

• Justice

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