The motive for the attack is still unknown. Two people were stabbed by a man in a church in Nice this Sunday morning, according to Nice Matin. The facts took place in the Saint-Pierre-d’Arène church, not far from the Promenade des Anglais.
The priest received “several stab wounds” and a faithful “who tried to disarm the attacker was also injured”, according to the Riviera media. Both were treated by firefighters in stable condition. “No vital prognosis engaged”, emphasizes on social networks the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin.
A suspect was arrested shortly after by the police. He “would be an imbalance”, says on Twitter about the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi. According to the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes, Bernard Gonzalez, the individual had no criminal record. “On the other hand, we found traces of his psychiatric hospitalization, he was followed and had already stayed at the hospital of Sainte-Marie, in Nice”, he specified, reinforcing the thesis of the act of an unbalanced person. The suspect’s father also attended the scene and made himself available to the police.
Updated at 11:46 a.m. with the declarations of the prefect.