In Nice, a man attacked passers-by in a church with a knife.
There are three dead and six injured.
According to President Emmanuel Macron, an
"Islamist terrorist attack"
occurred
in the French coastal city of
Nice
.
In the
knife attack
at a church three people have been killed.
The highest
terror warning level
now applies in France
.
Update from October 29, 9:59 p.m.:
In the fatal knife attack in
Nice
, the attacker severely injured the victims in the throat.
A 60-year-old woman had a deep throat cut, said anti-terrorist prosecutor
Jean-François Ricard
on Thursday evening in Nice.
He spoke of a kind of
beheading
.
The killed sexton was also badly injured in the throat.
A third seriously injured victim had fled.
The 44-year-old then succumbed to her injuries outside of the church.
The attacker
entered the church in the center of Nice
around
8:30 a.m.
and then stayed there for about half an hour and attacked the victims.
Around nine o'clock the
police
intervened, injured and arrested the alleged attacker.
"The officials have undoubtedly avoided an even more dramatic result," said Ricard.
The attacker was seriously injured and was in mortal danger.
The emergency services found a Koran and telephones.
In addition, the murder weapon, a
knife
about
17 centimeters long
, was discovered
near the attacker
.
Ricard also said that two unused knives were found.
The attacker carried a document from the Italian Red Cross, which was made out to a
Tunisian citizen
born in
1999
.
Ricard added that he entered the Italian island of Lampedusa in September.
Attack in Nice: Politicians around the world are dismayed - and condemn acts of violence "in the strongest"
Update from October 29th, 7:06 pm:
The
EU heads of state and government
were “shocked” by the
attack in Nice
and condemned the act of violence “in the strongest”.
The attack was also "an attack on our common values", it said in a joint statement published on Thursday evening by EU Council President
Charles Michel
.
The EU governments were "united and firm" in their
solidarity with France
and in the "common and continued fight against terrorism and violent extremism", it said.
At the same time, the EU representatives called on heads of state and government around the world to “work for dialogue and understanding between communities and religions instead of division”.
US President
Donald Trump also
assured France of his country's solidarity after the fatal knife attack.
"We are with our hearts with the people of France," wrote Trump on Thursday on the online service Twitter.
The
US is
"on the side of our oldest ally in this struggle".
"These radical Islamic
terrorist attacks
must stop immediately," added Trump.
Neither France nor any other country could take this any longer.
UN General Secretary
António Guterres also
condemned the “heinous attack” in Nice in the strongest terms.
The United Nations stood by France's side in solidarity.
Our hearts are with the people of France.
America stands with our oldest Ally in this fight.
These Radical Islamic terrorist attacks must stop immediately.
No country, France or otherwise can long put up with it!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2020
Update from October 29th, 5:35 p.m.:
According to
dpa
information,
the alleged attacker from
Nice
is
a man who was born in Tunisia in 1999.
The conservative French MP from the Alpes-Maritimes department, in which Nice is also located,
Éric Ciotti
, made further information on Thursday: The alleged perpetrator entered the Italian Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, he wrote on Twitter.
The Italian news agency
Ansa also
reported, citing security circles, that the man on
Lampedusa
entered the EU with other migrants and was registered on the island.
The investigators have not yet commented on the perpetrator or the course of the crime.
Knife attack in Nice: President Macron strongly condemns the "Islamist terrorist attack"
Update from October 29, 4:05 p.m.:
French President
Emmanuel Macron
has arrived in Nice, the site of the knife attack on Thursday morning, and has called for
everyone
to
unite
.
"We must
unite
behind the
nation
, we must not back down," said Macron.
He strongly condemned the
"Islamist terrorist attack"
.
He knows that such terrorist acts will continue, so Macron wants to send a message of strength, determination and unity.
He announced that he would
mobilize
soldiers more
in the coming hours.
In concrete terms, this means that the domestic
anti-terrorist operation
, which has been ongoing for a long time
, is to be increased from 3,000 to 7,000 soldiers.
Above all churches and other places of worship should be protected, but also schools.
There will be a Defense Council meeting on Friday to decide on new measures.
The
attorney general
will clarify in the next few hours about the knife attack in a church in Nice and also tell who the perpetrator was.
+
President Emmanuel Macron (center) speaks to police officers after a knife attack in the Notre-Dame church in the coastal city of Nice in the south of France.
© Eric Gaillard / Pool Reuters / AP / dpa
In the meantime,
Turkey
has also
condemned the act as a "cruel attack".
The State Department said the attack contravened all "religious, human or moral values".
Just a few days ago, Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan called
for a boycott of French goods and accused Macron of waging a "hate campaign" against Islam.
Knife attack in Nice: messages of solidarity from around the world go to France
Update from October 29, 2:16 p.m.:
The highest terror warning level now applies in France, which means the government can
mobilize
extraordinary resources in the fight against
terror
.
The aim is to improve protection against an imminent terrorist threat, writes the
German Press Agency
.
After the fact, in which a man killed three people in
Nice
, the Paris anti-terrorist prosecutor took over the investigation.
Among other things, it is about the allegation of
murder
in connection with a terrorist project.
Contrary to initial rumors, the perpetrator
acted alone,
according to the French newspaper
Nice Matin
.
Messages of
solidarity
arrived
in France
from many countries
.
Chancellor
Angela Merkel *
was "deeply shaken by the cruel murders" in the Notre-Dame Basilica.
"My thoughts are with the relatives of the murdered and the injured," said Merkel, according to her spokesman Steffen Seibert on Twitter.
Spain, Italy and the Netherlands also condemned the act and pledged
support
from
Paris
.
Chancellor #Merkel: “I am deeply shocked by the cruel murders in a church in #Nice.
My thoughts are with the relatives of the murdered and the injured.
Germany's solidarity is due to the French nation in these difficult hours. "
- Steffen Seibert (@RegSsprecher) October 29, 2020
Attack in Nice: Highest terror warning level in France
Update from October 29th, 1:33 p.m.:
Highest
terror warning level
in France: After the alleged Islamist attack in
Nice
with three dead, France declared the highest terror warning level nationwide.
The
Prime Minister Jean Castex announced
on Thursday in Paris.
Castex condemned the “cowardly and barbaric act that grieves the whole country”.
According to the Prime Minister, the government plans to hold a crisis meeting on Friday to discuss the situation.
In addition to the crime in Nice with three dead, the
police
in Avignon in the south of France killed an alleged attacker who is said to have threatened passers-by with a weapon
(see update from October 29, 12.55 p.m.)
.
In addition, a man at the French consulate in Jeddah in
Saudi Arabia
attacked and slightly injured a security guard.
The state news agency
SPA reported
on Thursday
that the perpetrator was arrested
.
Knife attack in Nice: President Emmanuel Macron is expected in the French city
Update from October 29, 12.55 p.m.:
Another knife attack in
Nice
shocked France: According to the
AFP
news
agency
, a suspected Islamist killed three people with a knife and at least one victim's throat was cut.
A woman and a man are said to have died in the
Notre-Dame basilica
.
The third victim was initially able to flee to a bar, but then succumbed to his injuries.
In the next few hours, French President
Emmanuel Macron is
expected in Nice.
Shortly after the crime, the police in Avignon, southern France,
killed
an alleged
attacker
who is said to have threatened passers-by with a weapon.
There is currently no evidence of a terrorist background, according to police circles, according to the
German Press Agency
.
Nice: Three dead after knife attack in Church of Notre-Dame Basilica
Update from October 29, 11:56 a.m.:
According to current information,
three people were
killed in
an attack in the Notre Dame Basilica in Nice on Thursday morning
.
There are also said to be
six
injured
.
This was confirmed by police circles of the
German Press Agency
in Paris on Thursday.
The suspect has been arrested, according to the mayor of Nice,
Christian Estrosi
.
The police injured him with bullets.
According to information from the French newspaper
Nice Matin
, possible accomplices are currently being sought.
The
Notre-Dame Basilica
is a well-known attraction in Nice and is located in the city center.
According to a tweet from the mayor, he had already spoken to French President
Emmanuel Macron on the
phone.
The
President of the European Parliament David Sassoli
called for unity.
"We have a duty to stand together against violence and against those who incite and spread hatred," the Italian wrote on Thursday on Twitter.
+
Policemen from the elite Raid unit arrive to search the Notre-Dame church in Nice for a knife attack.
© Valery Hache / AFP / dpa
Nice attack: Interior minister initiates immediate crisis meeting after knife attack
First report from October 29, 10:25 a.m .:
Nice -
According to media reports, at least one person was killed and several injured in
a
knife attack
in the southern French coastal city of
Nice
.
The incident is said to
have occurred
near the
Notre-Dame
church
.
The news channel
BFMTV reported
on Thursday.
The
police
advised avoiding the area.
The French Interior Minister
Gérald Darmanin
confirmed a
police operation
in downtown
Nice
on Twitter.
He advised avoiding the area and also wrote that he would initiate an
immediate emergency meeting
at the Ministry of the Interior.
In the past few weeks, after the beheading of a teacher in Paris, he had repeatedly warned of a high
risk of terrorism
.
Nice attack: Mayor Christian Estrosi speaks of terror
The
Mayor
of Nice,
Christian Estrosi
, announced on Twitter that a
suspect
had been arrested.
According to the mayor, there are many indications of a
terrorist attack
.
In another Tweet reported
Estrosi
of
three victims
.
Two of them died in the
cathedral
.
In an interview with the news channel
Franceinfo
,
Estrosi
said
that the attacker had shouted "Allahu Akbar" several times.
Je suis sur place avec la @ PoliceNat06 et la @pmdenice qui a interpellé l'auteur de l'attaque.
Je confirm that tout laisse supposer à un attentat terroriste au sein de la basilique Notre-Dame de # Nice06.
pic.twitter.com/VmpDqRwzB1
- Christian Estrosi (@cestrosi) October 29, 2020
The
Paris anti-terrorist prosecutor
has taken over the investigation.
Among other things, it is about the allegation of murder in connection with a terrorist project, the anti-terrorist public prosecutor's office confirmed to the
dpa
.
The French newspaper
Nice Matin
reports that
a victim was beheaded
.
In addition, seven to eight shots should have been heard.
A teacher was beheaded 13 days ago in Paris.
It was a
terrorist attack
.
(ph) * Merkur.de is part of the Ippen-Digital editorial network
List of rubric lists: © Daniel Cole / dpa