An individual was arrested this Friday afternoon after having damaged three statues in the Sacré-Coeur church in Nice and threatened a woman with a knife. The man was taken into custody. He is suspected of having vandalized another church.
An individual was arrested this Friday afternoon, September 6, after having damaged statues in the Sacré-Coeur church in Nice and threatened a woman with a knife.
According to CCTV footage, the suspect entered the church on Rue de France around 2:40 p.m. He was wearing shorts and carrying a bag on his back, suggesting he was a tourist.
“He was furious and started vandalizing the statues.”
“A man came in, he was strong. He threw his knife at a lady and she tried to dodge the knife. He was furious and he started to vandalize the statues. Then he went down to the crypt and people were praying. Then on the way out, he broke another image of the Virgin Mary,” Father Jean-Baptiste told France 3 Côte d’Azur.
Shortly after 3 p.m., the Nice municipal police quickly arrested him on rue Maccarani, as Anthony Borré, first deputy mayor of Nice on X, welcomed.
The suspect was taken into custody at the Auvare barracks. The man’s identity is not yet known. He is also suspected of throwing stones at the Voeu church on rue Alfred-Mortier, according to Nice-Matin.
