Knifeman attacks three French soldiers outside Jewish centre in Nice

Three French soldiers who were guarding a Jewish centre in the southern city of Nice have been attacked by a knifeman. The troops had been on an anti-terror patrol at the time of the attack that left two of the servicemen injured. A police official said the attacker pulled a 20cm long knife out of a bag and set upon the soldiers. The knifeman was detained by riot police near a Galeries Lafayette department store. The attacker, aged about 30, had a record of theft and violence, the official said.

[Recent atrocities by the Islamic State group] only strengthen the government’s determination to fight terrorism every day and every hour.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve

The troops were patrolling the Jewish centre as part of reinforced security measures in the wake of jihadist attacks last month in Paris that left 20 dead. One of the gunman, Amedy Coulibaly, killed four Jewish shoppers in a kosher supermarket. President Francois Hollande has since vowed to combat “unbearable” rising anti-Semitism in France, after figures showed incidents had doubled over the past year.

World Nice Jewish