Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday denounced the terror attacks in France, while extending India’s support to the country in the fight against terrorism.

Earlier in the day, a knife-wielding assailant murdered three people at a church in France’s Nice city. The assailant was wounded and hospitalised following the attack at the Notre Dame Church.

Modi extended his condolences to the families of the victims and French citizens. “I strongly condemn the recent terrorist attacks in France, including today’s heinous attack in Nice inside a church,” he tweeted. “India stands with France in the fight against terrorism.”

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Nice’s mayor, Christian Estrosi, said the attack was similar to the beheading of French teacher Samuel Paty, who had used cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in his class.

In a separate incident, a man was shot dead after he threatened people with a weapon in southern France’s Avignon city. The incident occurred in Montfavet, a district of the city. Another man was arrested outside Saudi Arabia’s French consulate in Jeddah assaulting a guard with a “sharp tool”. It is unclear whether the three attacks are linked.

On Wednesday, India criticised the “personal attacks in unacceptable language” by countries like Turkey and Pakistan on French President Emmanuel Macron for his firm stance against Islamism following the beheading of a teacher in Paris earlier this month. New Delhi said there was no justification for terrorism for any reason or under any circumstance.

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Without taking names, India said that the statements made by various leaders violated the most basic standards of international discourse.

On October 25, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan had accused Macron of encouraging anti-Muslim sentiment and creating polarisation in the society. The French teacher had showed caricatures of Prophet Muhammad in class before the attack. Macron had called the incident an “Islamist attack” and urged citizens to stand up against extremism.