The attack took place near the city’s main opera house in an area full of bars, restaurants, and theatres which were brimming on a weekend night. The man attacked five people with a knife, one of whom died, Police said.

Two were in serious condition and all the victims are in the hospital. Interior Minister Gerard Collomb hailed in a tweet the “sang-froid and reaction of the police who neutralised the attacker.” Police said the attacker’s motives were still unknown. A string of jihadist attacks have claimed the lives of over 245 people around France in the past three years.