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Once again, France is shaken by a brutal murder. A suspected Islamist killed three people in a Nice church. The world community reacts to the act with consternation.
French President Macron has declared the highest level of terror alert in response to the terrorist attack in Nice. In a knife attack on the Notre-Dame basilica that morning, three people were killed, two women and the church’s sacristan. Another six people are injured, French media report.
The Nice murders reportedly took place in the church; the third victim died shortly after in a cafe opposite the basilica, to which the woman had fled seriously injured. The assailant apparently cut a 70-year-old woman in the church and stabbed the 45-year-old sexton in the neck.
Two people died “in a terrible way” inside the church, Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi said. French Prime Minister Jean Castex confirmed that three people were killed in the attack.
Researchers assume extremism
The authorities assume a terrorist act; the antiterrorist prosecutor is investigating. The perpetrator, who repeatedly shouted “Allahu akbar” (God is the greatest), was shot by police officers in front of the church and taken to hospital, French media report.
According to information from the news agency dpa, it is about a man who was born in Tunisia in 1999. Paris parliamentarian Éric Ciotti from the region said the alleged perpetrator had recently arrived in Europe via the Italian island of Lampedusa. According to media reports, the 21-year-old had not applied for asylum. Investigators did not comment on the perpetrator or the course of events that night.
The Tunisian prosecutor’s office launched investigations after the attack. In the event that French judicial authorities request cooperation, one is available, a court spokesman in Tunisia said.
Macron increases counterterrorism force
In response, France issued the highest level of terrorism warning. President Emmanuel Macron went to the crime scene in the afternoon. He announced greater protection of churches and schools. The internal army anti-terrorist operation “Sentinelle”, which has been running for some time, will be increased from 3,000 to 7,000 soldiers.
He asked the French not to back down from the terror. One must not give in to the spirit of division. It is the third attack in France in a few weeks. At that time, the history teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded by an Islamist on the street in a Paris suburb.
More attacks in Avignon and Lyon
There was also an incident in the morning in a suburb of Avignon in the south of France. In Montfavet, a man threatened passersby with a gun, according to police. Police said the man was shot dead because he refused to put down his gun.
A man dressed in Afghan clothing was arrested in Lyon that afternoon with a knife in his hand. A security officer was also attacked and slightly injured at the French consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
“Horrible act”
The attacks came in the context of the outrage of many Muslims at the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, which the French satirical magazine “Charlie Hebdo” had republished in recent months.
There is great sympathy around the world for the Nice murders. The top of the EU institutions gave France their solidarity. The whole of Europe stands in solidarity with the country, the head of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, wrote on Twitter. Russian President Vladimir Putin also expressed “deep sympathy.”
Pope Francis expressed his closeness and compassion for the mourners. The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, called the attack “appalling”. US President Trump wrote on Twitter that the United States was “on the side of France in this fight.”
Dismay over Islamic associations
Several Islamic associations in Germany condemned the knife attack. The chairman of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, Aiman Mazyek, declared in Cologne: “Anyone who brings murder and terror to the people has offended humanity, he has offended God.”
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier described the act as a “heinous act of violence” and emphasized: “We must counter the violence and Islamist motives that are apparently behind it with all determination.” Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) said she was “deeply shocked.” He assured France of “solidarity with Germany in these difficult hours.”
