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Image source,Reuters
Macron said the number of guards used to protect public places such as churches and schools will increase from 3,000 to 7,000.
Three people were killed in a knife attack on a church in the southern French city of Nice on Thursday (October 29). The suspect was shot by the police and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital in serious condition.
French President Macron called Thursday’s attack an “Islamic terrorist attack.” French authorities deployed thousands of soldiers to protect churches and schools, and raised the national security alert level to the highest level.
Macron said the number of guards used to protect public places such as churches and schools will increase from 3,000 to 7,000.
What happened in the church?
French terrorism prosecutor Jean-François Ricard told a news conference that surveillance video showed the suspect arriving in Nice via the Nice train station on Thursday morning (October 29). There he changed his clothes.
The suspect then walked 400 meters and entered the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Nice at 8:29 a.m. local time. He attacked and “nearly beheaded” an elderly woman, and another male victim was fatally wounded in the throat. The second victim tried to escape from the church and reached a nearby bar, but later died from his injuries.
Ricard stated that the only reason the victims were attacked was because they were in the church. Ricard also claimed that when the police arrived at the scene, the suspect approached in a “threatening manner” and repeatedly said “Allahu Akbar” (Allahu Akbar).
The police first hit him with a taser gun, then shot him with live ammunition, and then took him to hospital.
In addition to the blade used in the attack, the police also found two other knives in a suspect’s bag. In addition, two mobile phones and a “Koran” of the suspect were also found.
Image source,EPA
The scene
The witness Chloe, who lives near the church, told the BBC: “We heard a lot of people shouting in the street. From the window, we saw a lot of police coming, there were shots, a lot of shots.”
Governments around the world condemned Thursday’s attacks, including those in the United States, Turkey, Egypt and Qatar.
Who is the victim?
Police did not release the name of the victim. But Ricard said the age of the first victim was 60, and his body was found near the entrance to the church.
According to French media reports, the male victim who died was a staff member responsible for maintaining the church. It is said that he left his wife and two children. Ricard said that this year he turns 55.
The third victim is a woman, 44 years old this year. She managed to escape to a nearby cafe after being stabbed multiple times, but later died.
Who is the attacker?
Police have not confirmed the suspect’s name, but the French and Italian media call him Brahim Aioussaoi.
Ricard said the suspect was a Tunisian born in 1999. He is said to have entered Europe on September 20, took a boat to the island of Lampedusa, Italy, and then arrived in France.
Although it is unclear how he left Lampedusa or arrived in France, the suspect was found carrying a document issued by the Italian Red Cross.
Tunisian authorities also launched an investigation, but a senior judicial official said the suspect was not classified as a terrorist in the country.
Event background
Earlier this month, a teacher was beheaded on the outskirts of Paris. In recent weeks, Islamic violence has once again become a hot topic in France.
Samuel Paty showed students a controversial cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad in a class on freedom of expression, and has since been threatened. Islam prohibits the display of images of the Prophet Muhammad and Allah.
People in Paris, Toulouse, Lyon and other cities gathered and demonstrated to condemn the atrocities and support the murdered history teacher Samuel Paty (Samuel Paty)
As people across the country gathered to mourn him, the murder reopened the debate on secularism and free speech in France.
President Macron promised to fight Islamic radicals, but his response was met with protests and some people called for a boycott of French products in some Muslim countries.
Major terrorist attacks in France in recent years
October 2020: French teacher Samuel Patty is beheaded outside a school on the outskirts of Paris
September 2020: Two people were stabbed near Charlie Hebdo’s former office in Paris, where Islamic militants launched a fatal attack in 2015.
October 2019: An IT staff from the French police stabbed and killed three policemen and a civilian at the Paris police headquarters and was subsequently shot to death.
July 2016: Two attackers attacked a church in the city of Rouen in northern France. A priest was shot dead and another hostage was seriously injured.
Image source,EPA
The death of teacher Samuel Patty sparks discussion in France
July 2016: An attacker drove a large truck into the crowd celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, killing 86 people. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.
November 2015: Gunmen and suicide bombers launched multiple attacks on the Bataclan Concert Hall, a major stadium, restaurants and bars in Paris, killing 130 people and wounding hundreds.
In January 2015, two Islamic militants broke into the office of “Charlie Hebdo” and shot and killed 12 people.
