France's anti-terrorism prosecutor on Nice suspect

A man armed with a knife attacked people inside 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.

Speaking at a press conference, France's anti-terrorism prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard said on Thursday the suspect is a Tunisian born in 1999 who arrived in Italy by reaching the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa on Sept. 20 and travelled to Paris on Oct. 9.

Ricard said the attacker was carrying a copy of the Quran.

A knife with a 17-centimetre blade used in the attack was found near him along with a bag containing another two knives that were not used in the attack.

Ricard detailed the gruesome scene encountered inside the Nice basilica where a man and woman were killed by the attacker.

A 60-year-old woman suffered "a very deep throat slitting, like a decapitation," Ricard said.

A 55-year-old man died after deep cuts to his throat, the prosecutor added.

The third victim, a 44-year-old woman, managed to flee the church but died at a nearby restaurant.

An investigation was opened for murder and attempted murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise, a common term for such crimes.

The attacker was not on the radar of intelligence agencies as a potential threat.