French police said three people have been killed and several others injured in a knife attack near a church in the Mediterranean city of Nice.
A woman was said to have been decapitated during the knife attack, according to reports.
The assailant was arrested after the Thursday morning attack and taken to a nearby hospital after being injured during his arrest, a police official said.
He was believed to be acting alone, the official said. The assailant kept shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is Greatest) even after he had been arrested by police, Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi told reporters.
He added that President Emmanuel Macron would be arriving shortly in Nice. The reason for the attack is unclear. It comes as France is under high alert for terrorist attacks.
The lower house of parliament suspended a debate on new virus restrictions and held a moment of silence for the victims.
The attacker was described as a man in his 20s or 30s with knowledge of Arabic, the French daily Le Parisien reported.
The country’s media outlets, namely Le Parisien and Le Monde identified the man as “Brahim.”
Shortly after the attack, French police shot and killed the man after he had threatened pedestrians with a weapon in the city of Avignon, French radio station Europe 1 reported.
Meanwhile, a Saudi man was arrested in Jeddah after attacking a guard with a “sharp tool” at the French consulate, Saudi state TV said on Thursday.
