Fucking religious stupid fucks...

Knife attack in Nice leaves 3 people dead

The incident comes two weeks after the beheading of a French teacher.

BY ELISA BRAUN AND RYM MOMTAZ

Three people were killed and several others injured in a knife attack in the southern French city of Nice on Thursday morning, according to the city’s mayor.

There were also reports of a man shot by police in Avignon who was reportedly threatening people in the street with a handgun. Separately, another knife attack was reported by the French consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where an assailant attacked the building’s security guard but was arrested. The victim’s life is not in danger.

The Nice attack, which took place in and around a church, is being investigated as a potential act of terrorism, Le Monde reported. It comes two weeks after the beheading of French teacher Samuel Paty, who was killed days after he used cartoons of the prophet Muhammad in a class discussion about freedom of speech.

A suspect has been arrested, Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi said. He added that the attacker “kept repeating Allahu akbar.”

The first victim, a woman, had her throat cut inside the Notre Dame church in Nice’s city center, according to Le Monde. The second, a man, was fatally wounded with a knife. The third victim was killed in a bar in front of the church, where she had taken refuge.

French media also reported that in Avignon, southern France, police shot dead a man yelling “Allahu akbar” who was threatening passers-by with a handgun. Police sources told Agence France-Presse that “for the time being there are no Islamist indications.” There is no indication any of the attacks are connected.

After news of the Nice attack, French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Jean Castex — who was giving a speech in parliament at the time — headed into a crisis meeting. The parliament held a minute of silence.

Following the meeting, Macron headed to Nice, along with Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, Justice Minister Eric Dupont-Moretti and the antiterrorism prosecutor Jean François Ricard, as well as Monseigneur de Moulin Beaufort, the president of the Conference of Bishops of France.

Nice has been the target of terrorists before, with an attacker linked to the so-called Islamic State killing 86 people on Bastille Day in 2016 and another knife-attack against armed forces in 2015.

The new attacks come after several leaders of Muslim-majority countries, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, as well as Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, accused Macron and France of Islamophobia for its reaction to the killing of Paty.

Macron attracted the ire of Erdoğan and others after a speech on fighting Islamist extremism in France, and again after he defended the freedom to publish cartoons that others consider to be offensive.

Following the attack, the French Council of the Muslim Faith tweeted that it “forcefully condemns the terrorist attack” in Nice and called on Muslims to annul their celebrations as part of the festival of Mawlid as a sign of mourning. Mawlid, which falls on Thursday, marks the birth of the prophet Muhammad.

France has also received messages of support from across Europe and beyond. “My thoughts go out to the victims of Nice’s abominable attack and to their loved ones. All of Europe is with you,” said European Council President Charles Michel in a tweet.

“I condemn the heinous and brutal attack that has just taken place in Nice and I wholeheartedly support France. My thoughts are with the victims of this heinous act,” tweeted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “The whole of Europe stands in solidarity with France. We remain united and determined in the face of barbarism and fanaticism.”

The Turkish government released a statement condemning the attack and offering condolences to the families of the victims.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote on Twitter that had was “appalled” at the news. “The UK stands steadfastly with France against terror and intolerance,” he tweeted. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also expressed solidarity with France.