Paris: French police have said three people have been killed and several others injured in a knife attack. The knife attack took place near a church in the Mediterranean city of Nice.
The assailant was arrested after the Thursday morning attack. He was taken to a nearby hospital after being injured during his arrest, a police official said. He was believed to be acting alone, the official said. She said that she did not have the authority to give away the name of the culprit.
The reason for the attack is unclear. It comes as France is under high alert for terrorist attacks. The lower house of parliament suspended a debate on new virus restrictions and held a moment of silence for the victims.
Sources said that among the three killed there was a woman who was beheaded. The attack took place happened in near Nice’s Notre Dame church.
Journalists at the scene said police armed with automatic weapons had put up a security cordon around the church. The church is situated on Nice’s Jean Medecin Avenue, the city’s main shopping thoroughfare. Ambulances and fire service vehicles were also at the scene.
The attack comes while France is still reeling from the beheading earlier this month of French middle school teacher Samuel Paty in Paris. He was killed by a man of Chechen origin.