October 30, 2020

Anna Murray 

The assailant has been identified by police authorities as Brahim Aoussaoui, a 21-year-old Tunisian who just came to France in September, killed 3 innocent victims inside the Notre-Dame basilica of the city of Nice on October 29. Inside the church, the suspect brutally attacked and almost decapitated an elderly woman, fatally hurt a sexton's throat, and killed him, a church staff for maintenance and welcoming visitors. Another woman, reportedly a 44-year-old mother, was stabbed but died of injuries in her escape.

The assailant had repeatedly shouted "Allahu Akbar", meaning "God is greatest", during the attack and even under medical care after he was injured in his arrest by police authorities. Police officers tasered the assailant before shot him with live bullets and wounded him. He was then rushed to the hospital after his arrest.

Islamist violence has once again stricken France in grief. Following Samuel Paty, a French middle-school teacher, had shown cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in a lesson on freedom of speech to his students. Mr. Paty was shockingly beheaded on October 16 in an act of Islamist terrorism. French President Emmanuel Macron visited the crime scene of the stabbing incident in condolences. Meanwhile, he vowed that France would not give up on values and urged all religions to unite and never be divided. Thus, police have put on the highest level alert on its national security.

Photo:Webshot.