Océane Théard with AFP 7:43 a.m., February 15, 2022
The trial for the murder of Father Hamel opened on Monday.
This priest was assassinated during mass by two jihadist attackers on July 26, 2016 in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray.
Three members of their entourage, friends and family, appear before the special Assize Court of Paris.
The trial of the assassination of Father Hamel in the church of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray began Monday in Paris with the interrogation of an accused who fears to put on "a costume too big" for him and in front of victims who demand to "understand" what led to the attack.
The two young jihadists who killed the priest on July 26, 2016, Adel Kermiche and Abdel-Malik Petitjean, were killed by the police as they left the small church in the suburbs of Rouen.
“We had opposite lifestyles”
Yesterday, the personalities of two of the three defendants were studied at length, in particular that of Farid Khelil, the cousin of Abdel-Malik Petitjean, one of the two assailants.
"We were not close with my cousin, we lost sight of each other during childhood", defends Farid Khelil, gray sweater and curly brown hair brought back in a ponytail.
This will not prevent the two men from meeting again nearly thirty years later.
Farid Khelil hosted Abdel-Malik Petitjean in May 2016 at his home in Nancy, two months before the attack on Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray.
A practicing Muslim, very pious, speaking Arabic, this cousin wants to teach him how to say his prayers well.
"But we had opposing lifestyles," continues the accused.
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"This file is too big for me"
The 30-year-old, ex-truck driver, leads a "free, unbridled" life, with lots of cannabis and girlfriends.
Farid Khelil especially wants to break the image of an active member of the jihadosphere.
"This file is too big for me, this suit is too heavy for me," he breathes in front of the Court.