GETTY/REUTERS The body of terrorist Abdel-Malik Petitjean lies unburied in France

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The 19-year-old ISIS sympathiser took six people hostage after storming a church at Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray. Father Jacques Hamel, 85, was forced to kneel as his throat was slit, causing him to cry out “get away Satan.” Petitjean was shot dead by police as he left the church with fellow terrorist Adel Kermiche.

The mayors fear that the terrorists’ graves will be turned into shrines Victor Lima

But two weeks after the murder of the French priest the body Petitjean is yet to be buried, because no-one wants it. The mayors of both Saint-Dié-des-Vosges –where the Islamic murderer was born – and Montluçon – where he lived for four years – have blatantly refused to let him be buried in their towns. It is possible that his accomplice, Adel Kermiche, will be buried in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, which is where he was living at the time of his death. But a local imam has said that doing so would “dirty Islam”.

GETTY

GETTY Petitjean killed Father Jacques Hamel in Normandy last month

In law a mayor has no choice but to let the burial to go ahead if: A person died on their own territory; When that person lived in that town; If that person’s family owns a vault in that town; If that person was French and listed on the electoral register.

Normandy Church Terror Wed, July 27, 2016 A PRIEST had his throat slit and several others were taken hostage after armed men stormed a church in northern France during morning mass today, with authorities describing it as an Islamist attack. Play slideshow Getty 1 of 22 ISIS releases chilling ‘video of Normandy attackers pledging allegiance to terror group'

This means that the mayor of Montluçon, the town where Petitjean’s family lived for four years, can refuse. But that the mayor of Saint-Dié-des-Vosges cannot. However the loathing of Islamic terrorists and abhorrence of the actual killing means that neither mayor wants the body on their soil.

GETTY The mayors of both Saint-Dié-des-Vosges and Montluçon have refused to accept the burial of Petitjean