French President Emmanuel Macron, center, meets soldiers after a knife attack at Notre Dame church in Nice, southern France, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020. An attacker armed with a knife killed at least three people at a church in the Mediterranean city of Nice, prompting the prime minister to announce that France was raising its security alert status to the highest level. It was the third attack in two months in France amid a growing furor in the Muslim world over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad that were re-published by the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. (Eric Gaillard/Pool via AP)
A young Tunisian man armed with a knife and carrying a copy of the Qur'an attacked worshippers in a French church and killed three Thursday, prompting the government to raise its security alert to the maximum level hours before a nationwide coronavirus lockdown.
The attacker was seriously wounded by police.
Thursday's attack prompted the government to raise its security alert status to the maximum level hours before a nationwide coronavirus lockdown.
It was the third attack in two months in France that authorities have attributed to Muslim extremists, including the beheading of a teacher.
It comes during a growing furor over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad that were republished in recent months by the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.
France's president said he would immediately increase the number of soldiers deployed to protect schools and religious sites from around 3,000 currently to 7,000.