Three dead and several wounded after knife attack outside Nice church

A woman has been beheaded during a knife attack near the Basilica of Notre Dame church in the French city of Nice, according to French media citing police sources.

Reports say that three people died and several more were injured.

The attacker was arrested after the attack on Thursday morning and taken to a nearby hospital after being injured during his arrest, a police officer said. He was believed to be acting alone, the official said.

One of the victims, a woman, was beheaded, according to a police source.

The attack began around 9 a.m., according to local reports, before police invaded the area and arrested the attacker.

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has confirmed that a police operation is underway.

The mayor of the city, Christian Estrosi, tweeted: “I am in the place with the [police] who arrested the author of the attack.

“I confirm that everything suggests a terrorist attack on the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Nice.”

The lower house of parliament suspended a debate on new virus restrictions and observed a moment of silence for the victims.

The motive for the attack is unclear.

The attack is the latest to hit France, after an 18-year-old Pakistani stabbed two wounded people outside the former offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

The man has admitted to police that he was targeting the magazine for publishing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

Earlier this month, a French history teacher, Samuel Paty, was beheaded in another attack north of Paris, also over cartoons of the Prophet.

Paty was stabbed by an 18-year-old Chechen man after showing the cartoons to his students during a free speech lesson.

The parents of the school’s pupils had led a campaign against him before the attack took place. Seven have been arrested.

– Daily Mail for additional reports