France terror latest: Macron says ‘we won’t give in’ after Nice beheading attack and Avignon gunman death

Hello, and welcome to The Independent’s rolling coverage of the terror attacks in France. 

Woman decapitated and others killed in France knife attack

A woman was beheaded earlier today, and two others killed, in a knife attack at a church in Nice in southern France.

Several others were also injured in Thursday’s attack, which the city’s mayor, Christian Estrosi, said looked like a terrorist incident.

Police officials confirmed to The Independent that two women and one man were killed and all had their throats cut.

France’s anti-terrorist prosecutor's department has since been asked to investigate.

Zoe Tidman reports:

Man shot dead in Avignon after threatening the public with a weapon

A man has been shot dead by police after threatening people with a weapon in a city in southern France.

The incident in Avignon happened on the same morning at least three people were killed in a church in Nice, whose mayor has described the knife attack as terrorism. 

Zoe Tidman has the latest:

Saudi citizen arrested in Jeddah for stabbing guard at French consulate

A Saudi man was arrested in Jeddah after attacking a guard with a “sharp tool” at the French consulate on Thursday, as France urged its citizens in the kingdom to be “on maximum alert”.

The French Embassy in Riyadh said the consulate was subject to an “attack by knife which targeted a guard”, adding the guard was taken to hospital and his life was not in danger. 

“The French embassy strongly condemns this attack against a diplomatic outpost which nothing could justify,” an embassy statement said.

Emily Goddard has the story:

French Embassy says guard’s ‘life is not in danger’

The French embassy have released a statement saying the guard in the Jeddah consulate attack has been hospitalised but his “life is not in danger”. 

"The assailant was apprehended by Saudi security forces immediately after the attack. The guard was taken to hospital and his life is not in danger," the embassy said in its statement.

France raises security threat level to highest, PM says

France has raised the security alert for French territory to its highest level after the knife attack in the city of Nice, Jean Castex has announced.

Mr Castex also told French National Assembly that the government's response to the attack would be firm and implacable.

Lizzie Dearden, The Independent's security correspondent, writes:

The wave of attacks coincided with international celebrations marking the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday.

Isis has called for international atrocities on days of religious significance in the past, particularly during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

A speech from its official spokesman distributed on 18 October incited supporters to carry out lone attacks against “crusaders” around the world.

Days later, Isis praised the terrorist killing of French teacher Samuel Paty in its weekly propaganda newspaper.

A long article praised his killer as a martyr and called for more attacks, repeating parts of the 2014 speech by former spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani that said jihadis who could not travel to Isis territories should launch attacks in their home countries.

The article named France as a target several times and said supporters should “continue to incite jihad and to call for it” by translating and spreading Isis propaganda.

Paty was targeted because he had shown students Charlie Hebdo cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad during a class on free expression.

Al-Qaeda, whose supporters murdered 12 victims at Charlie Hebdo’s offices in 2015, also threatened attacks over the republication of the cartoons.

A propaganda magazine published on 11 September said the massacre was not a “one off” as the gunmen’s trial started in Paris.

The Afghan Taliban released a statement on Sunday attacking Emmanuel Macron’s response to the murder of Paty.

The terrorist group accused the French president of making “irresponsible remarks against Islam” and “assuming a stance that threatens international peace and inflames enmity and animosity among nations”.

Raab comments

Dominic Raab, the UK’s foreign secretary, said: 

Macron in Nice

The French president has landed in Nice and visited the scene of today’s attack at a church in the city centre.

Church

This is the church where the attack in Nice - which left at least three dead - happened.

The Notre-Dame basilica sits on the Jean Medecin avenue, the city's main shopping thoroughfare.