THE COUSIN OF one of two teenagers who slit the throat of an 85-year-old priest has been charged with terrorism offences in France.

The suspect, named as Farid K, “was fully aware of his cousin’s imminent violent action, even if he did not know the precise place or day,” the Paris public prosecutor said.

85-year-old Father Jacques Hamel was killed as he said mass on Tuesday at the Eglise Saint-Etienne in Normandy.

Both of the 19-year-old attackers – Adel Kermiche and Abdel Malik Petitjean – had been on the intelligence services’ radar and had tried to go to Syria.

Today Petitjean’s 30-year-old cousin was charged with “criminal association in connection with terrorism”.

Mass

The charge comes as Muslims and Catholics gathered in the cathedral in nearby Rouen to mourn the priest.

At the Saint Leger church in the northern city of Lens, around 30 Muslims attended mass wearing T-shirts emblazoned with messages such as, “Terrorism has no religion or identity”.

Father Hubert Renard told the congregation: “We are not alone; our Muslim brothers are here too.”

Prime Minister Manuel Valls called for a new “pact” with the Muslim community in France, Europe’s largest with around five million members.

Before that, dozens of prominent Muslims published a joint letter pledging: “We, French and Muslim, are ready to assume our responsibilities.”

Arrest

Meanwhile a Syrian refugee who was taken in for questioning after a photocopy of his passport was found at Kermiche’s house has been released, a source close to the investigation said.

“Nothing suggests he had any involvement” in the attack, the source said.

- © AFP 2016

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