France knife attack: Saudi Arabia 'strongly condemns' stabbings

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - A knife-wielding man killed three people at a church in Nice on Thursday, slitting the throat of at least one of them.

Saudi Arabia "strongly condemned" deadly stabbings Thursday in the French city of Nice, which authorities are investigating as the latest terrorist attack in France.

A knife-wielding man killed three people at a church in Nice on Thursday, slitting the throat of at least one of them, in an attack that triggered global shock.

"We strongly condemn and denounce the terrorist attack that occurred… in Nice, France, which resulted in the death and injury of a number of people," the Saudi foreign ministry said on Twitter.

"We reiterate the Kingdom's categorical rejection of such extremist acts that are inconsistent with all religions, human beliefs and common sense, and we affirm the importance of rejecting practices that generate hatred, violence and extremism."

The assault in Nice comes on the same day as a knife attack by a Saudi citizen at the French consulate in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.

The attack left a guard at the consulate wounded.

Neither the Saudi authorities nor the French embassy gave a possible motive for the attack, but it comes as France faces growing anger over satirical cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

France's President Emmanuel Macron vigorously defended the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad by the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on free speech grounds.

Saudi Arabia -- home to Islam's holiest sites -- has criticised the cartoons, saying it rejected "any attempt to link Islam and terrorism" but it stopped short of condemning the French leadership.

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