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Priest attacked with knife while celebrating Mass in Nice

The priest was not seriously hurt; the alleged attacker has since been identified as a 31-year-old French national with no previous police record.

La rédaction de Mediapart

This article is freely available.

The French Interior Ministry has confirmed that a Catholic priest was attacked during the celebration of Mass by a man wielding a knife. The victim's life is not in danger.  A suspect has been arrested, reports RFI.

The message from the Interior Ministry gives few details.

"There has been an attack this morning at a church in Nice," according to the Twitter account of interior minister, Gérald Darmanin.

"The priest was injured, but not seriously," the tweet continues. "Our support to all the parishioners, and our gratitude to the law enforcement agents who rapidly arrested the attacker."

Local parliamentarian Éric Ciotti says a Catholic nun was herself injured when she intervened in an effort to protect the priest.

Read more of this report from RFI