KEY POINTS

  • One of the victims is believed to be the church warden
  • Earlier this month, a history teacher was beheaded in Paris
  • Prime Minister Jean Castex has appealed for unity and cohesion

In a purported terrorist attack at the French city of Nice on Thursday, a knife-wielding assailant beheaded a woman and killed two other people, BBC News reported.

“Everything pointed to a "terrorist attack at the heart of the Notre-Dame basilica," Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi tweeted. According to him, the attacker shouted “Allahu Akbar” several times.

The suspected terrorist was shot by the police and was taken to the hospital after he was detained.

One of the victims is believed to be the church warden, said a Reuters report.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said he is holding a crisis meeting and a police operation is underway. He has asked the people to stay away from the area, according to the news agency.

President Macron rushed to a crisis centre overseeing the aftermath of the attack. The French anti-terrorist department was asked to investigate the report.

A minute's silence was held in the National Assembly before Macron gave details of the lockdown measures that were coming into force.

“Without question, this is a very serious new challenge that is striking our country," he said. He also appealed for unity and cohesion during this time.

Earlier this month, 47-year-old history teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded by a Chechen teen in Conflans Sainte-Honorine, northwest of Paris. Paty had reportedly shown caricatures of Muhammad in class.

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