Illegal migrant hurls insults and threats inside church
The intoxicated man has spat on the floor and made threats inside the same cathedral that witnessed a brutal terrorist attack a year ago. Police captured him near the basilica and found that he was an illegal migrant of Tunisian descent.
Just a few days before the anniversary of the brutal terrorist attack in Nice which claimed three lives on 29 October last year, Notre Dame Cathedral has witnessed another incident. A young, apparently inebriated man entered the basilica and began yelling in Arabic. He then spat on the floor and left, only to return shortly and threaten the sacristan, who rushed to press the emergency call button. When the young man realised that police were already on their way, he fled the church, but the sacristan followed him on the street while remaining in telephone contact with the police.
The man was captured by police not far from the basilica building. According to information obtained by actu17.fr, which covered the whole incident, the perpetrator is a 26-year-old Tunisian man staying in France illegally. He has never appeared on the authorities’ radar and has no criminal record. The sacristan filed a complaint and authorities have launched an investigation against him.
Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi took on Twitter to thank the officers who detained the man, adding that the case must be brought to justice with the utmost rigour as the first anniversary of the terrorist attack on 29 October 2020 is approaching.
Merci á la @PMdeNice qui après activation d’un bouton d’alerte a interpellé un individu qui aurait craché, crié en arabe et menacé le sacristain de la basilique Notre-Dame. La justice doit être extrêmement sévère alors que nous allons bientôt commémorer l’attentat du 29/10/2020. https://t.co/4xrBWDHyBn
— Christian Estrosi (@cestrosi) October 12, 2021
This was not the only incident at the Nice basilica since the brutal terrorist attack last autumn. In July, a man threatened to kill a sacristan and worshippers in the church. After his arrest, police have found his name in the so-called S-files, which means he has a criminal record and poses a particularly high risk to society. Citing sources, Actu17.fr reported that the intoxicated Tunisian national’s name appeared in the state’s security register because of radicalisation.
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