Macron calls Nice attack Islamist terrorism -NHK WORLD-JAPAN 1 hour ago
French President Emmanuel Macron has described Thursday's fatal knife assault at a church in Nice as an Islamist terrorist attack.
Macron visited the scene of the tragedy about four hours after three people were killed in the attack.
The president pledged to stand by the victims and protect freedom of religion. He said he will deploy 4,000 more soldiers to better safeguard schools, places of worship and other facilities.
French media say the attacker is a Tunisian national in his 20s who recently arrived in France. He was detained after being shot by police.
The attack led the government to raise its three-tier terrorism alert to the highest level.
Churches across France tolled their bells to pay tribute to the victims and display their attitude of never yielding to terrorism.
The leaders of the European Union issued a statement on Thursday condemning recent suspected terrorist attacks in France.
They said the attacks are assaults on the values shared by the bloc's 27 member nations. They called on leaders around the world to "work towards dialogue and understanding among communities and religions, rather than division."
Earlier in October, a teacher in France was fatally attacked with a knife after showing his students caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in a class on freedom of expression.
