A suspected terrorist attack in the southern French city of Nice has left three people dead, according to French police, with one person believed to have been decapitated.

The attacks, which occurred at around 9am today, happened in the Notre-Dame Basilica in Nice, and images from within the church show upended chairs and the area in disarray as police officers try to regain control.

The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, said it’s believed to be a “terrorist attack” with the attacker reportedly shouting “Allahu Akbar” during the attack. The attacker has since been shot and apprehended by police and taken to hospital.

People are being urged to avoid the centre of the city. 

World leaders have expressed their sympathy and pledged support to France following this attack, which comes after the beheading of French middle-school teacher Samuel Paty by an 18-year-old Muslim Chechen refugee.

The President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, said he was “deeply shocked and saddened by the news of the horrific attack in Nice. This pain is felt by all of us in Europe.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed his “deep sympathy and solidarity towards the victim of the attack, saying we must remain “united in the face of terror and hatred.”