A native of Tunisia, who attacked the parishioners of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Nice, arrived in France specifically to commit a terrorist attack, internal affairs minister Gerald Darmanin told La Voix du Nord.

According to Darmanin, the terrorist came with the obvious purpose of killing.

The minister noted that the authorities are going to strengthen control at the country's borders.

Darmanin also noted that since his appointment as the minister in early July, hundreds of additional police officers have been deployed to the border with Italy.

A man armed with a knife has killed three people – two women and a man – in a terrorist attack at a church in Nice on the Cote d’Azur.

The killings happened at 9 am Thursday inside the Notre-Dame Basilica.