Knife attack in French city of Nice

The Prime Minister of France, Jean Castex, has said the government’s response to the Nice attack will be “firm, implacable, and immediate," adding that the country’s security alert level is being raised to "emergency."

The "emergency" level means the “maximum level of vigilance” is necessary in case of an imminent threat or immediately after an attack, according to a French government website.

France’s Defense and National Security Council will meet Friday morning, Castex said.

Speaking in the French parliament on Thursday, he also paid tribute to the three people who died.

“Three of our compatriots were assassinated with a knife in abject circumstances,” he said.

“In these tragic times, our thoughts go to the families, to their relatives, to Nice parishioners but also more broadly to the whole Catholic community that was intentionally targeted.”

The nation “shares their pain,” Castex said.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry “strongly condemns” the attack on a church in the French city of Nice and offered their “condolences to the relatives of those who lost their lives”, a statement said. 

“There is no reason that can justify killing a person or justify violence. It is clear that those who organized such a brutal attack in a holy place of worship do not have any religious, humanitarian and moral values,” the statement said. 

“As a country that struggles with different types of terrorism and loses its citizens due to terrorism, we emphasize that we are in solidarity with the French people, especially the residents of Nice, against terrorism and violence,” it added. 

Relations between French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are increasingly tense. In the past week Erdogan said that Macron needs “mental treatment” over his attitude towards Muslims in France, prompting the French government to withdraw its ambassador from Ankara. 

One of the victims of the Nice terror attack in France had her throat slit, a police source has told CNN.

The local mayor had earlier described it as a decapitation.

According to the police source, one of the other victims – a man – died following multiple stabbings.

The third victim, a woman, was wounded inside the church, but managed to leave. However, she died in a nearby café, the police source said.

A Saudi man was arrested after attacking a guard at Jeddah’s French consulate with a sharp tool on Thursday, Saudi state media said. 

The stabbing attack resulted in minor injuries and the guard was moved to a hospital, state media added. 

The French embassy in Saudi Arabia condemned the attack calling it “flagrant”. 

“We express our trust in Saudi authorities to reveal the circumstances behind the attack, as well as to ensure the security of French property and the French community in Saudi Arabia,” the statement said.

Global leaders are responding to the alleged terror attack in Nice, France, pledging solidarity with the city and condemning the violence that has left at least three people dead.

The President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, said on Twitter he was "deeply shocked and saddened by the news of the horrific attack in Nice." He added: "This pain is felt by all of us in Europe."

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also tweeted his “deep sympathy and solidarity towards the victim of the attack.” He added we are “united in face of terror and hatred.”

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also tweeted his condolences in both Italian and French, ending his message by saying "We are united!"

The French Council of the Muslim Faith has condemned the knife attack in the city of Nice which left three people dead.

“I strongly condemn the terrorist attack that took place near the Notre-Dame Basilica in Nice. As a sign of mourning and solidarity with the victims and their families, I call on the Muslims of France to cancel all the Mawlid festivities,” the council tweeted.

Mawlid is celebrated by some Muslims to mark the birthday of Islam's Prophet Mohammed.

France's anti-terror prosecutor has taken on the investigation into the knife attack in Nice, a spokesperson for the prosecutor's office said.

The knife attack took place in the vicinity of the city's main church, the Notre Dame Basilica.

Nice is located on France's southern coast, near Monaco and the border with Italy.

Three people are now confirmed dead – including one woman who was "decapitated" – following a terror attack in the French city of Nice, the mayor Christian Estrosi has said.

“It seems that, according to the first findings of the police, the woman who was inside the church has been decapitated. For the other victims, we cannot say anything at the moment,” he told BFM TV.

French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Nice on Thursday after participating in a crisis meeting at the Interior Ministry, the Elysee Palace has said.

The country's Prime Minister Jean Castex led lawmakers in a moment of silence at the National Assembly on Thursday morning after news of the incident broke.

The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, wrote on Twitter that he has spoken with Macron over the phone this morning, adding that the President passed on his thanks to local police.