The attack took position in a church, the Notre Dame Basilica, on Thursday. The victims incorporate a single woman who was “decapitated” inside the church, Mayor Christian Estrosi reported.
Estrosi reported the attacker was shot by police, but is still alive and has been taken into custody.
“I am on the scene with the law enforcement who arrested the attacker. Everything points to a terrorist attack,” Estrosi said on Twitter Thursday morning.
“At this instant, we have, without any doubt, two useless inside of the church, in a terrible way,” Estrosi stated shortly later on through a press conference.
“It looks that, according to the first results of the law enforcement, the woman who was within the church has been decapitated. For the other victims, we can’t say something at the moment,” Estrosi informed French news channel BFMTV.
France’s Inside Minister Gérald Darmanin said he was chairing a crisis conference at the ministry in response to the assault.
President Emmanuel Macron will vacation to Awesome immediately after attending that assembly, the Elysee Palace said.
France’s anti-terror prosecutor has taken on the investigation into the assault, a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s workplace stated.
Eric Ciotti, a French lawmaker who signifies the metropolis of Nice and surrounding place in the Nationwide Assembly, claimed the full of France was in mourning.
“Like a image, the Notre Dame basilica is nevertheless ringing. It is our country and its historical past that are strike right now in Great,” he explained on Twitter, in a write-up that shared a video clip of church bells. Ciotti additional: “Islamist barbarism will by no means silence us!”
The French Council of the Muslim Religion strongly denounced the incident and identified as on French Muslims to terminate Thursday’s Mawlid celebrations.
Mawlid is celebrated by some Muslims to mark the birthday of Islam’s Prophet Mohammed.
“I strongly condemn the terrorist assault that took spot close to the Notre-Dame Basilica in Good. As a indication of mourning and solidarity with the victims and their households, I call on the Muslims of France to cancel all the Mawlid festivities,” the council stated in a put up on its Twitter account.
Politicians, officers and companies throughout Europe have also condemned the knife attack.
The President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, claimed he was deeply saddened by the incident. “This suffering is felt by all of us in Europe,” he mentioned on Twitter.
“We have a responsibility to stand alongside one another in opposition to violence and those people that request to incite and unfold hatred.”
Spanish Primary Minister Pedro Sanchez provided his “deep sympathy and solidarity” to individuals affected.
“We will continue to keep defending independence, our democratic values, peace and stability of our citizen. United in facial area of terror and hatred,” he reported on Twitter.
This is a breaking tale, a lot more to comply with…
CNN’s Fanny Bobille contributed to this report.
