Rahul Gandhi speaks to reporters in Delhi. 

Five men arrested last week were charged with &quot;criminal conspiracy with terrorists with the intention of preparing criminal attacks&quot; for plotting an attack in Paris were directed from the Islamic State group&#39;s heartland, a prosecuter said.&nbsp;

The French police conducted raids in the cities of Strasbourg and Marseille and arrested seven men and seized weapons last weekend. Of which two were later released but the other five-- Frenchmen and a Moroccan were remanded in custody by anti-terrorism judge.&nbsp;

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said items recovered in Strasbourg included written documents showing &quot;clear allegiance&quot; to IS and &quot;glorifying death and martyrdom&quot;.

&quot;The Strasbourg commando unit, but also the individual arrested in Marseille, were in possession of common instructions... Sent by a coordinator from the Iraqi-Syrian region via encrypted applications,&quot; he continued.&nbsp;

The suspects were &quot;in possession of or in search of weapons and financing&quot; and were &quot;looking for targets,&quot; Molins added.&nbsp;

According to the police the suspects had searched online for possible targets including the Christmas market on the Champs-Elysees, the Disneyland Paris theme park, cafe terraces in the northeast of the capital, the Paris police headquarters and a metro station.

Investigators said the Strasbourg cell were planning to carry out an attack on December 1 on one of a number of possible targets, however Molins said prosecuters have been &quot;unable to determine the exact one&quot;.

President Francois Hollande said,&nbsp;&quot;The breakup of this network... Has protected us against a large-scale attack.&quot;

Molins also said that the coordinator had been in touch with two other people who were arrested on June 14, during the Euro 2016 football tournament in France.

France has been under a state of emergency since last year following attacks carried out by Islamist militants that left 238 people dead.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Investigators said the cell's members had researched a dozen sites and were planning a possible attack on December 1

Five men arrested last week were charged with "criminal conspiracy with terrorists with the intention of preparing criminal attacks" for plotting an attack in Paris were directed from the Islamic State group's heartland, a prosecuter said. The French police conducted raids in the cities of Strasbourg and Marseille and arrested seven men and seized weapons last weekend. Of which two were later released but the other five-- Frenchmen and a Moroccan were remanded in custody by anti-terrorism judge. Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said items recovered in Strasbourg included written documents showing "clear allegiance" to IS and "glorifying death and martyrdom". "The Strasbourg commando unit, but also the individual arrested in Marseille, were in possession of common instructions... Sent by a coordinator from the Iraqi-Syrian region via encrypted applications," he continued. The suspects were "in possession of or in search of weapons and financing" and were "looking for targets," Molins added. According to the police the suspects had searched online for possible targets including the Christmas market on the Champs-Elysees, the Disneyland Paris theme park, cafe terraces in the northeast of the capital, the Paris police headquarters and a metro station. Investigators said the Strasbourg cell were planning to carry out an attack on December 1 on one of a number of possible targets, however Molins said prosecuters have been "unable to determine the exact one". President Francois Hollande said, "The breakup of this network... Has protected us against a large-scale attack." Molins also said that the coordinator had been in touch with two other people who were arrested on June 14, during the Euro 2016 football tournament in France. France has been under a state of emergency since last year following attacks carried out by Islamist militants that left 238 people dead. (WION with inputs from AFP)

France foiled large-scale Islamic State attack, says President Francois Hollande

Former French leader Nicolas Sarkozy launched a fresh bid today to win back the presidency, announcing he would seek the nomination of his centre-right party to run in next year&#39;s election. 
 
The pugnacious 61-year-old conservative, who was deeply unpopular by the end of his five years as president, had made no secret of his ambition to reconquer the top office. 
 
&quot;I have decided to be a candidate in the 2017 presidential election,&quot; Sarkozy, who was voted out of office in 2012, wrote in the foreword to a new book &quot;Tout pour la France&quot; (All for France) due out later this week. 
 
&quot;France demands that you give her your all. I feel I have the strength to lead the fight at such a turbulent moment in our history,&quot; he wrote in the book extract seen by AFP, alluding to the string of terror attacks that have rocked the country in the past year and a half. 
 
His aides told AFP he would be stepping down Monday as the leader of the Republicans party to focus on his campaign. 
 
&quot;This book is the starting point,&quot; Sarkozy tweeted, together with a link to the foreword. &quot;The next five years will be filled with danger but also with hope,&quot; he wrote. 
 
Sarkozy listed five main challenges in the years ahead: keeping promises made to the nation, defending national identity, restoring lost competitiveness, enforcing state authority and striving &quot;to restore confidence and hope in the future&quot;. 
 
&#39;Minority blackmail&#39; 
 
His announcement that he will seek his party&#39;s nomination at a primary in November comes in the midst of a resurgent debate over the place of Islam in French society, encapsulated in the row over the Islamic &quot;burkini&quot; swimsuit. 
 
Sarkozy said France&#39;s &quot;principal battle&quot; was over how &quot;to defend our lifestyle without being tempted to cut ourselves off from the rest of the world&quot;. 
 
The opposition leader, who has repeatedly dismissed socialist President Francois Hollande as weak, said he would also restore authority in neighbourhoods where he said &quot;minorities are successfully blackmailing the current authorities&quot;. 
 
The politician, who was defeated in his bid for reelection in 2012 after conducting a campaign seen by many in his own camp as too right-wing, faces several challengers for the conservative nomination. His chief rival, popular former premier and Bordeaux mayor Alain Juppe who is seen as a moderate, is the favourite to win the nod. 
 
But Juppe&#39;s lead in opinion polls has shrunk in recent weeks as Sarkozy steps up his rhetoric on Islamist extremists and immigration in the wake of last month&#39;s massacre in Nice. 
 
Legal woes 
 
&quot;War has been declared on us,&quot; Sarkozy said in an interview with Valeurs Actuelles magazine in mid-August. 
 
&quot;The barbarians who are attacking us believe we are weak,&quot; he said, calling for a &quot;merciless&quot; response. 
 
Sarkozy has already won the support of a Republicans heavyweight in the shape of Christian Estrosi, president of the southern region that includes Marseille. 
 
&quot;He is the best candidate,&quot; Estrosi told the Journal de Dimanche yesterday. 
 
If Sarkozy wins, he could face a rematch against Hollande, who has said he too has the &quot;desire&quot; for a second term, despite opinion polls overwhelmingly showing the French wanting neither man as their leader. During his term in office, Hollande has surpassed Sarkozy to become the most unpopular president in post-war France. 
 
Sarkozy would also face far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen, who is tipped to make it to a second round of voting. 
 
The man known as &quot;President Bling-Bling&quot; for his flashy lifestyle and cosy ties with tycoons while in office, never digested his 2012 defeat by Hollande, whom he had written off as &quot;useless.&quot; After telling the French before his defeat they would never hear from him if vanquished, Sarkozy made a comeback to frontline politics in 2014. 
 
And a host of legal troubles has failed to dent his ambition of returning to the Elysee Palace. 
 
(AFP)

The 61-year-old said he would restore authority in neighbourhoods where 'minorities are successfully blackmailing the current authorities'

Former French leader Nicolas Sarkozy launched a fresh bid today to win back the presidency, announcing he would seek the nomination of his centre-right party to run in next year's election. The pugnacious 61-year-old conservative, who was deeply unpopular by the end of his five years as president, had made no secret of his ambition to reconquer the top office. "I have decided to be a candidate in the 2017 presidential election," Sarkozy, who was voted out of office in 2012, wrote in the foreword to a new book "Tout pour la France" (All for France) due out later this week. "France demands that you give her your all. I feel I have the strength to lead the fight at such a turbulent moment in our history," he wrote in the book extract seen by AFP, alluding to the string of terror attacks that have rocked the country in the past year and a half. His aides told AFP he would be stepping down Monday as the leader of the Republicans party to focus on his campaign. "This book is the starting point," Sarkozy tweeted, together with a link to the foreword. "The next five years will be filled with danger but also with hope," he wrote. Sarkozy listed five main challenges in the years ahead: keeping promises made to the nation, defending national identity, restoring lost competitiveness, enforcing state authority and striving "to restore confidence and hope in the future". 'Minority blackmail' His announcement that he will seek his party's nomination at a primary in November comes in the midst of a resurgent debate over the place of Islam in French society, encapsulated in the row over the Islamic "burkini" swimsuit. Sarkozy said France's "principal battle" was over how "to defend our lifestyle without being tempted to cut ourselves off from the rest of the world". The opposition leader, who has repeatedly dismissed socialist President Francois Hollande as weak, said he would also restore authority in neighbourhoods where he said "minorities are successfully blackmailing the current authorities". The politician, who was defeated in his bid for reelection in 2012 after conducting a campaign seen by many in his own camp as too right-wing, faces several challengers for the conservative nomination. His chief rival, popular former premier and Bordeaux mayor Alain Juppe who is seen as a moderate, is the favourite to win the nod. But Juppe's lead in opinion polls has shrunk in recent weeks as Sarkozy steps up his rhetoric on Islamist extremists and immigration in the wake of last month's massacre in Nice. Legal woes "War has been declared on us," Sarkozy said in an interview with Valeurs Actuelles magazine in mid-August. "The barbarians who are attacking us believe we are weak," he said, calling for a "merciless" response. Sarkozy has already won the support of a Republicans heavyweight in the shape of Christian Estrosi, president of the southern region that includes Marseille. "He is the best candidate," Estrosi told the Journal de Dimanche yesterday. If Sarkozy wins, he could face a rematch against Hollande, who has said he too has the "desire" for a second term, despite opinion polls overwhelmingly showing the French wanting neither man as their leader. During his term in office, Hollande has surpassed Sarkozy to become the most unpopular president in post-war France. Sarkozy would also face far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen, who is tipped to make it to a second round of voting. The man known as "President Bling-Bling" for his flashy lifestyle and cosy ties with tycoons while in office, never digested his 2012 defeat by Hollande, whom he had written off as "useless." After telling the French before his defeat they would never hear from him if vanquished, Sarkozy made a comeback to frontline politics in 2014. And a host of legal troubles has failed to dent his ambition of returning to the Elysee Palace. (AFP)

Sarkozy announces new bid for French presidency

The second &#39;jihadist&#39; involved in a French church attack had tried to travel to Syria, prosecutors said today as calls mounted for the prime minister and interior minister to resign after the latest terror attack. 
 
The prosecutor&#39;s office said that the second killer was 19-year-old Abdel Malik Petitjean, who was listed on France&#39;s &quot;Fiche S&quot; of people posing a potential threat to national security in June after trying to reach Syria from Turkey. 
 
Petitjean, whose face was disfigured after being gunned down by police, had been harder to identify than his accomplice Adel Kermiche, 19, and investigators confirmed his identity after a DNA match with his mother. 
 
&#39;Petitjean described perfectly normal&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Petitjean was described as perfectly normal by his incredulous family and friends. 
 
Unlike his accomplice, Petitjean never raised suspicions for radicalisation among his neighbours, and was unknown to police until last month when he tried to go to Syria. 
 
Petitjean was born to a family of Algerian origin and lived in the quiet lakeside town of Aix-les-Bains in the shadow of the Alps, popular with visitors seeking thermal cures. 
 
<img alt="" class="img-responsive" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/france-20160728104730.jpg" />

<div class="media-description">
Petitjean, whose face was disfigured after being gunned down by police, had been harder to identify than his accomplice Adel Kermiche
</div>

 
The resort is 700 kilometres (430 miles) from the industrial Normandy town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray where Petitjean and Kermich stormed a church and took hostages on Tuesday. 
 
He and Kermiche, also a Frenchman born to an Algerian family, slit the 86-year-old priest&#39;s throat at the altar. Another elderly worshipper was severely injured but several other hostages escaped unharmed. 
 
Both assailants were shot dead by police. 
 
&#39;What was inside his head?&#39; 
 
Djamel Tazghat, who manages the local mosque in the Aix-les-Bains suburb where Petitjean lived in social housing, said he recognised the young man in a video published by the Islamic State group in which the two pledged allegiance to the jihadist movement. 
 
&quot;I liked him a lot. We never had a problem with him at the mosque. No strange observations, he was always smiling... It&#39;s incredible,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;All the believers are shocked because he was known for his kindness, his calm. We never had any sign of radicalisation. What was going on inside his head?&quot; 
 
Petitjean -- whose identity card was found at Kermiche&#39;s house -- had never been convicted of a crime in France so his DNA and fingerprints were not available to speed up the identification process. 
 
Sources say that after being gunned down by police, the second attacker&#39;s face was too disfigured to allow him to be clearly identified, and that his DNA had to be matched to that of his mother. 
 
He came onto the radar of French police in June after he tried to travel to Syria from Turkey, and was placed on France&#39;s &quot;Fiche S&quot; of people posing a potential threat to national security. 
 
Sources close to the investigation said Petitjean &quot;strongly resembles&quot; a man hunted by anti-terrorism police in the days before the attack over fears he was about to carry out an act of terror. 
 
The sources said France&#39;s anti-terrorism police unit UCLAT sent out a note four days before the attack -- saying it had received &quot;reliable&quot; information about a person &quot;about to carry out an attack on national territory&quot;. 
 
Three members of Petitjean&#39;s family were taken in for questioning, said a source close to the investigation. 
 
Unlike Kermiche and other jihadists carrying out recent attacks in Europe, there have been no indications that Petitjean suffered from psychological problems. 
 
 
&#39;Hard to believe&#39; 
 
After finishing high school in 2015, Petitjean&nbsp;worked part-time sales jobs and his resume said he liked science-fiction movies, video games, music and boxing. 
 
&quot;It is hard to believe. He was against Daesh. He was not radical at all,&quot; said Hakim, 17, who claimed he was Petitjean&#39;s friend. 
 
His mother, Yamina Boukessoula, refused to believe her son was involved when she spoke to AFP just hours before the official confirmation. 
 
&quot;He was a good French citizen. He is gentle. I know my child, I know my son. He was not involved at all,&quot; she said. 
 
Petitjean grew up with two sisters in a blended family. 
 
His mother said he had left their home on Monday to visit his cousin in the northeastern city of Nancy. 
 
His last text message to his mother came on Tuesday morning, just before the attack: &quot;Don&#39;t worry, everything is fine... I love you.&quot; 
 
On Wednesday afternoon his mother, still refusing to believe her son was involved, sent him a final message: &quot;Malik, it&#39;s mum, I don&#39;t know where you are. I have bad news. Call me. The police have come, they are talking rubbish. I hope nothing has happened to you my son. I love you. I miss you so much.&quot; 
 
 
&#39;Government guilty of being unable to stop attacks&#39; 
 
The attack came as the government was already facing a firestorm of criticism over alleged security failings after the Bastille Day truck massacre that left 84 dead two weeks ago. 
 
A brief show of political unity at a mass attended by different faiths in Paris on Wednesday quickly dissolved as Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve faced fresh calls to resign. 
 
&quot;If the government is not responsible for the wave of terrorism, it is guilty of not having done everything to stop it,&quot; said Laurent Wauqiez, the deputy leader of the right-wing Republicans party in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper. 
 
&quot;Manuel Valls and Bernard Cazeneuve must go because they refuse to take vital measures to fight Islamism.&nbsp;We need a new government, determined to act&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
France to form National Guard&nbsp; 
 
The French government has assured the country that everything possible is being done to protect citizens, while warning that more terror attacks are inevitable, after three major strikes and several smaller attacks in the past 18 months. 
 
President Francois Hollande confirmed today that the creation of a National Guard to be made up of reserve forces, after the government earlier urged &quot;patriots&quot; to sign up to become reservists. 
 
Hollande said parliamentary consultations on the formation of the force would take place in September &quot;so that this force can be created as fast as possible to protect the French&quot;. 
 
The government has faced tough questions as it emerged both church attackers were on the radar of intelligence services, and had tried to go to Syria. 
 
One of the criticisms is that Kermiche had been released from prison while awaiting trial on terror charges after his second attempt to travel to Syria. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

The second killer was Abdel Malik Petitjean, who was listed on France's 'Fiche S' of people posing a potential threat to national security

The second 'jihadist' involved in a French church attack had tried to travel to Syria, prosecutors said today as calls mounted for the prime minister and interior minister to resign after the latest terror attack. The prosecutor's office said that the second killer was 19-year-old Abdel Malik Petitjean, who was listed on France's "Fiche S" of people posing a potential threat to national security in June after trying to reach Syria from Turkey. Petitjean, whose face was disfigured after being gunned down by police, had been harder to identify than his accomplice Adel Kermiche, 19, and investigators confirmed his identity after a DNA match with his mother. 'Petitjean described perfectly normal' Petitjean was described as perfectly normal by his incredulous family and friends. Unlike his accomplice, Petitjean never raised suspicions for radicalisation among his neighbours, and was unknown to police until last month when he tried to go to Syria. Petitjean was born to a family of Algerian origin and lived in the quiet lakeside town of Aix-les-Bains in the shadow of the Alps, popular with visitors seeking thermal cures. Petitjean, whose face was disfigured after being gunned down by police, had been harder to identify than his accomplice Adel Kermiche The resort is 700 kilometres (430 miles) from the industrial Normandy town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray where Petitjean and Kermich stormed a church and took hostages on Tuesday. He and Kermiche, also a Frenchman born to an Algerian family, slit the 86-year-old priest's throat at the altar. Another elderly worshipper was severely injured but several other hostages escaped unharmed. Both assailants were shot dead by police. 'What was inside his head?' Djamel Tazghat, who manages the local mosque in the Aix-les-Bains suburb where Petitjean lived in social housing, said he recognised the young man in a video published by the Islamic State group in which the two pledged allegiance to the jihadist movement. "I liked him a lot. We never had a problem with him at the mosque. No strange observations, he was always smiling... It's incredible," he said. "All the believers are shocked because he was known for his kindness, his calm. We never had any sign of radicalisation. What was going on inside his head?" Petitjean -- whose identity card was found at Kermiche's house -- had never been convicted of a crime in France so his DNA and fingerprints were not available to speed up the identification process. Sources say that after being gunned down by police, the second attacker's face was too disfigured to allow him to be clearly identified, and that his DNA had to be matched to that of his mother. He came onto the radar of French police in June after he tried to travel to Syria from Turkey, and was placed on France's "Fiche S" of people posing a potential threat to national security. Sources close to the investigation said Petitjean "strongly resembles" a man hunted by anti-terrorism police in the days before the attack over fears he was about to carry out an act of terror. The sources said France's anti-terrorism police unit UCLAT sent out a note four days before the attack -- saying it had received "reliable" information about a person "about to carry out an attack on national territory". Three members of Petitjean's family were taken in for questioning, said a source close to the investigation. Unlike Kermiche and other jihadists carrying out recent attacks in Europe, there have been no indications that Petitjean suffered from psychological problems. 'Hard to believe' After finishing high school in 2015, Petitjean worked part-time sales jobs and his resume said he liked science-fiction movies, video games, music and boxing. "It is hard to believe. He was against Daesh. He was not radical at all," said Hakim, 17, who claimed he was Petitjean's friend. His mother, Yamina Boukessoula, refused to believe her son was involved when she spoke to AFP just hours before the official confirmation. "He was a good French citizen. He is gentle. I know my child, I know my son. He was not involved at all," she said. Petitjean grew up with two sisters in a blended family. His mother said he had left their home on Monday to visit his cousin in the northeastern city of Nancy. His last text message to his mother came on Tuesday morning, just before the attack: "Don't worry, everything is fine... I love you." On Wednesday afternoon his mother, still refusing to believe her son was involved, sent him a final message: "Malik, it's mum, I don't know where you are. I have bad news. Call me. The police have come, they are talking rubbish. I hope nothing has happened to you my son. I love you. I miss you so much." 'Government guilty of being unable to stop attacks' The attack came as the government was already facing a firestorm of criticism over alleged security failings after the Bastille Day truck massacre that left 84 dead two weeks ago. A brief show of political unity at a mass attended by different faiths in Paris on Wednesday quickly dissolved as Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve faced fresh calls to resign. "If the government is not responsible for the wave of terrorism, it is guilty of not having done everything to stop it," said Laurent Wauqiez, the deputy leader of the right-wing Republicans party in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper. "Manuel Valls and Bernard Cazeneuve must go because they refuse to take vital measures to fight Islamism. We need a new government, determined to act". France to form National Guard The French government has assured the country that everything possible is being done to protect citizens, while warning that more terror attacks are inevitable, after three major strikes and several smaller attacks in the past 18 months. President Francois Hollande confirmed today that the creation of a National Guard to be made up of reserve forces, after the government earlier urged "patriots" to sign up to become reservists. Hollande said parliamentary consultations on the formation of the force would take place in September "so that this force can be created as fast as possible to protect the French". The government has faced tough questions as it emerged both church attackers were on the radar of intelligence services, and had tried to go to Syria. One of the criticisms is that Kermiche had been released from prison while awaiting trial on terror charges after his second attempt to travel to Syria. (AFP)

France church attack: Second suspect 'never raised suspicions for radicalisation'

Two jihadists who attacked a French church and killed a priest pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, a video showed on Wednesday, as investigators worked to identify the second assailant. 
 
The attack is the third in two weeks in France and Germany in which jihadists have pledged allegiance to the group, increasing jitters in Europe over young, often unstable men being lured by IS propaganda and calls to carry out attacks in their home countries. 
 
IS also claimed that Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, who killed 84 people when he ploughed a truck into a crowd in the French city of nice on July 14, was one of their &quot;soldiers&quot;, however no direct link has been found. 
 
France was still deep in mourning over the massacre when two men stormed into a church in the northern town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray during morning mass Tuesday and slit the 86-year-old priest&#39;s throat at the altar before being gunned down by police. 
 
Another man was left seriously injured in a hostage drama, while three nuns and a worshipper escaped unharmed. 
 
One of the attackers was identified as French jihadist Adel Kermiche, 19, who was awaiting trial on terror charges and had been fitted with an electronic tag despite calls from the prosecutor for him not to be released. 
 
Sources close to the investigation said they found an identity card belonging to one Abdel Malik P., also 19, at Kermiche&#39;s home, who they believe is the second attacker. 
 
They said Abdel Malik &quot;strongly resembles&quot; a man hunted by anti-terrorism police in the days before the attack over fears he was about to carry out an act of terror. 
 
In a video posted on the IS news agency Amaq, two bearded men, calling themselves by the noms de guerre Abu Omar and Abu Jalil al-Hanafi, hold hands as they swear &quot;obedience&quot; to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. 
 
God of death 
 
President Francois Hollande, members of his government and opposition rivals gathered together at the symbolic Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris for a mass attended by Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders to pay tribute to the murdered priest. 
 
The moving gathering provided a rare show of unity and respite from days of political sniping over the repeat attacks, which right-wing parties say are due to the Socialist government&#39;s failure to protect citizens. 
 
&quot;Those who drape themselves in the finery of religion to hide their deadly project, those who tell us of a God of death, a Moloch (false god) who rejoices in the death of man and promises heaven to those that kill by invoking him. They cannot hope that man gives in to their illusion,&quot; said Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois at the service. 
 
The mass came after a meeting earlier in the day between Hollande and top religious leaders who warned French people against being drawn in by IS efforts to pit different believers against each other. 
 
Prime Minister Manuel Valls has warned that the goal of the attack, claimed by Islamic State jihadists, was to &quot;set the French people against each other, attack religion in order to start a war of religions&quot;. 
 
In an editorial, Le Monde newspaper wrote that France was under attack as it had one of the biggest Muslim communities in Europe. 
 
&quot;The jihadists&#39; aim is to provoke violent revenge attacks that will create a religious war in our country,&quot; it said. 
 
Pope Francis said &quot;the world is at war&quot; but argued that religion was not the cause. 
 
&quot;When I speak of war I speak of wars over interests, money, resources, not religion. All religions want peace, it&#39;s the others who want war.&quot; 
 
Where are the police? 
 
Residents of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray were struggling to come to terms with the bloodshed in their small town, so far from France&#39;s tourist hubs. 
 
They made their way to a makeshift memorial to lay flowers, candles and messages of peace -- a ritual that has become chillingly familiar from Brussels and Paris to Nice and Munich, all cities that have been struck by attackers inspired by the Islamic State group. 
 
The government, already under pressure after the Nice attack, faced more questions over security weaknesses after it emerged Kermiche was known to anti-terror investigators. 
 
Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Kermiche twice tried to travel to Syria under a false identity.&nbsp; 
 
After his latest arrest in Turkey in May 2015, he was held in custody until March this year when he was released and fitted with the electronic bracelet. 
 
Annie Geslin, who worked with Kermiche&#39;s mother for many years, told AFP &quot;he was the youngest child and had psychological problems.&quot; 
 
Mohammed Karabila, who heads the regional council of Muslim worship for Haute Normandie, where the church attack took place, asked simply: &quot;How could a person wearing an electronic bracelet carry out an attack? Where are the police?&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Police face ire over lax security as Adel Kermiche, one of the attackers, had been arrested before and was fitted with electronic bracelet

Two jihadists who attacked a French church and killed a priest pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, a video showed on Wednesday, as investigators worked to identify the second assailant. The attack is the third in two weeks in France and Germany in which jihadists have pledged allegiance to the group, increasing jitters in Europe over young, often unstable men being lured by IS propaganda and calls to carry out attacks in their home countries. IS also claimed that Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, who killed 84 people when he ploughed a truck into a crowd in the French city of nice on July 14, was one of their "soldiers", however no direct link has been found. France was still deep in mourning over the massacre when two men stormed into a church in the northern town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray during morning mass Tuesday and slit the 86-year-old priest's throat at the altar before being gunned down by police. Another man was left seriously injured in a hostage drama, while three nuns and a worshipper escaped unharmed. One of the attackers was identified as French jihadist Adel Kermiche, 19, who was awaiting trial on terror charges and had been fitted with an electronic tag despite calls from the prosecutor for him not to be released. Sources close to the investigation said they found an identity card belonging to one Abdel Malik P., also 19, at Kermiche's home, who they believe is the second attacker. They said Abdel Malik "strongly resembles" a man hunted by anti-terrorism police in the days before the attack over fears he was about to carry out an act of terror. In a video posted on the IS news agency Amaq, two bearded men, calling themselves by the noms de guerre Abu Omar and Abu Jalil al-Hanafi, hold hands as they swear "obedience" to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. God of death President Francois Hollande, members of his government and opposition rivals gathered together at the symbolic Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris for a mass attended by Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders to pay tribute to the murdered priest. The moving gathering provided a rare show of unity and respite from days of political sniping over the repeat attacks, which right-wing parties say are due to the Socialist government's failure to protect citizens. "Those who drape themselves in the finery of religion to hide their deadly project, those who tell us of a God of death, a Moloch (false god) who rejoices in the death of man and promises heaven to those that kill by invoking him. They cannot hope that man gives in to their illusion," said Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois at the service. The mass came after a meeting earlier in the day between Hollande and top religious leaders who warned French people against being drawn in by IS efforts to pit different believers against each other. Prime Minister Manuel Valls has warned that the goal of the attack, claimed by Islamic State jihadists, was to "set the French people against each other, attack religion in order to start a war of religions". In an editorial, Le Monde newspaper wrote that France was under attack as it had one of the biggest Muslim communities in Europe. "The jihadists' aim is to provoke violent revenge attacks that will create a religious war in our country," it said. Pope Francis said "the world is at war" but argued that religion was not the cause. "When I speak of war I speak of wars over interests, money, resources, not religion. All religions want peace, it's the others who want war." Where are the police? Residents of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray were struggling to come to terms with the bloodshed in their small town, so far from France's tourist hubs. They made their way to a makeshift memorial to lay flowers, candles and messages of peace -- a ritual that has become chillingly familiar from Brussels and Paris to Nice and Munich, all cities that have been struck by attackers inspired by the Islamic State group. The government, already under pressure after the Nice attack, faced more questions over security weaknesses after it emerged Kermiche was known to anti-terror investigators. Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Kermiche twice tried to travel to Syria under a false identity. After his latest arrest in Turkey in May 2015, he was held in custody until March this year when he was released and fitted with the electronic bracelet. Annie Geslin, who worked with Kermiche's mother for many years, told AFP "he was the youngest child and had psychological problems." Mohammed Karabila, who heads the regional council of Muslim worship for Haute Normandie, where the church attack took place, asked simply: "How could a person wearing an electronic bracelet carry out an attack? Where are the police?" (AFP)

French church attackers pledged allegiance to IS in video

French President Francois Hollande said Thursday&#39;s lethal attack on the southern city of Nice was clearly a terrorist assault and that the state of emergency imposed since since jihadists killed 130 in Paris on November 13, 2015&nbsp;would be extended for another three months. 
 
Speaking after an emergency meeting in the early hours of Friday morning, Hollande said at least 77 people were killed in an attack in which the assailant drove a big truck at high speed into dense crowds who were watching a fireworks display on the country&#39;s national Bastille Day holiday. 
 
&quot;There&#39;s no denying the terrorist nature of this attack of yet again the most extreme form of violence,&quot; the French leader said in a national television address at 4am (0200 GMT), about five or six hours after the carnage in Nice.&nbsp;There was a sense of deja vu in France as the visibly moved President took to the airwaves to address a nation once again in mourning. 
 
As an act of terror, the incident will be the third major attack on French soil in 18 months - with several smaller-scale jihadist killings also having taken place. 
 
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.&nbsp; 
 
Hollande calls up reservists to boost security 
 
President Francois Hollande had called on reservists to boost the ranks of police and gendarmes after the attack. 
 
France&#39;s &quot;operational reservists&quot; include French citizens with or without military experience as well as former soldiers. Hollande said they would in particular be used to boost &quot;border controls&quot;. 
 
&#39;France will strengthen role in Iraq and Syria&#39; 
 
Hollande also vowed to strengthen his country&#39;s role in the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria after a deadly attack on Nice, which has not been claimed by any group. 
 
&quot;Nothing will make us yield in our will to fight terrorism. We will further strengthen our actions in Iraq and in Syria. We will continue striking those who attack us on our own soil,&quot; he said, in reference to the Islamic State group. 
 
(Reuters)

State of emergency imposed since jihadists killed 130 in Paris on November 13, 2015?will be extended for another three months

French President Francois Hollande said Thursday's lethal attack on the southern city of Nice was clearly a terrorist assault and that the state of emergency imposed since since jihadists killed 130 in Paris on November 13, 2015 would be extended for another three months. Speaking after an emergency meeting in the early hours of Friday morning, Hollande said at least 77 people were killed in an attack in which the assailant drove a big truck at high speed into dense crowds who were watching a fireworks display on the country's national Bastille Day holiday. "There's no denying the terrorist nature of this attack of yet again the most extreme form of violence," the French leader said in a national television address at 4am (0200 GMT), about five or six hours after the carnage in Nice. There was a sense of deja vu in France as the visibly moved President took to the airwaves to address a nation once again in mourning. As an act of terror, the incident will be the third major attack on French soil in 18 months - with several smaller-scale jihadist killings also having taken place. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Hollande calls up reservists to boost security President Francois Hollande had called on reservists to boost the ranks of police and gendarmes after the attack. France's "operational reservists" include French citizens with or without military experience as well as former soldiers. Hollande said they would in particular be used to boost "border controls". 'France will strengthen role in Iraq and Syria' Hollande also vowed to strengthen his country's role in the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria after a deadly attack on Nice, which has not been claimed by any group. "Nothing will make us yield in our will to fight terrorism. We will further strengthen our actions in Iraq and in Syria. We will continue striking those who attack us on our own soil," he said, in reference to the Islamic State group. (Reuters)

Nice attack clearly of terrorist nature, says Hollande