Nice Church Attacker Was A 21-Year-Old Tunisian Who Came To France Less Than A Month Ago

The terrorist who carried out the stabbing attack that killed three people has been identified by the French authorities.

Though the investigators have not revealed his name, he has been identified as a 21-year-old Tunisian national.

AFP

AFP reported that he called himself "Brahim" when he was arrested and later claimed to be Brahim Aouissaoui.

According to the French officials, the attacker entered France from Italy and was carrying a copy of Islam¡¯s holy book, the Quran, at the time of the attack.

AFP

France¡¯s anti-terrorism prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard told a press conference that the man arrived in Italy on a migrant boat by reaching the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa on September 20, and traveled to Paris on October 9 and had travel documents issued by the Italian Red Cross.

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

AFP

On Thursday, the attacker armed with three knives and a copy of the Quran went to the Notre Dame Basilica in Nice.

He then began attacking people praying inside the Basilica and in a near half-hour frenzy, the assailant used a 30 centimetre knife to cut the throat of a 60-year-old woman, who died inside the church.

The body of a man, a 55-year-old church employee, was found nearby inside the basilica - his throat had also been slit.

AFP

Another woman, a 44-year-old who had fled the church to a nearby restaurant, died shortly afterwards from multiple knife wounds. She is said to be a Brazilian national.

The attacker who remained inside the church was shot and wounded by police who arrived quickly at the scene.

Even as he was being arrested the man continued to shout "Allahu Akbar," before he was rushed to the city's Pasteur hospital where he is said to be in a very critical condition.

AFP

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

This is the second Islamist terror attack in France in as many weeks.

On October 16, Samuel Paty, a French middle-school teacher was beheaded in a suburb of Paris. Paty was killed and beheaded in an act of Islamist terrorism after he angered a section of the Muslims by showing the caricature of Prophet Muhammad in a class about freedom of expression.

The assailant who was shot dead by the police was also from an immigrant background - an 18-year-old who was originally from Chechnya.