One of the victims of Thursday's knife attack at the basilica of Notre Dame in Nice, a 60-year-old woman, suffered "a cutting of the throat tantamount to a decapitation," France's chief anti-terrorism prosecutor says.
A second victim, the 55-year-old sacristan of the church, had also had his throat cut deeply, prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard said in a brief statement to press.
The third victim, a 44-year-old woman, died of multiple knife wounds in a neighbouring restaurant shortly after fleeing the church through a side door, Ricard said.
A copy of the Koran, two telephones, a knife with a 17-centimetre blade used in the attack and two other unused knives were found at the scene of the attack, Ricard said.
A Tunisian born man
The man who killed three people in a church in Nice was carrying papers from the Italian Red Cross in the name of a Tunisian national born in 1999, France's top anti-terrorist prosecutor says.
Initial investigations indicate that "this identity is indeed that of the attacker," who is still in a critical condition after being shot by police, prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard told a press conference.
The man, who was unknown to security services, entered Italy first via the island of Lampedusa on 20 September, and then again via the eastern port of Bari on 9 October, Ricard said.
Investigation launched in Tunisia
Tunisian prosecutors have begun an investigation into the alleged involvement of one of the country's nationals in the attack. Court spokesperson and prosecutor Mohsen Dali said that the probe was begun as soon as the information about the suspect was released.
Separately, in comments to Tunisian news agency TAP, he confirmed that the alleged attacker is Tunisian.
Tunisian law allows for prosecution against any citizen accused of involvement in a terrorist attack, whether inside or outside of Tunisia.
Tunisia's Foreign Ministry also condemned the attack, according to TAP and reiterated its "complete rejection of all forms of terrorism, extremism and violence." The government offered its condolences to the victims of the attack.
