3 French Soldiers Injured in Knife Attack at Nice Jewish Center

Three French soldiers were injured after they were stabbed as they patrolled the area around a Jewish community center in the city of Nice.

The BBC reports that the attacker was captured shortly after the incident and another man was arrested for his relationship to the attacker and attack. The attack took place at a Jewish community center that also hosts a Jewish radio station.

The attacker was riding the tram without a ticket shortly before the attack, according to BBC. When tram personnel tried to get the man's ticket, he struck. The soldiers all suffered different injuries. One soldier was cut across the cheek, another was cut across the chin, and the third had his leg slashed. The attacker tried to escape, but was captured by a store owner and tram employees.

The soldiers are part of a contingent of 10,500 troops deployed throughout France after the attack on the magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Kosher grocery store. The troops are stationed at likely terrorist targets such as national landmarks and public spaces predominantly frequented by France's Jewish population.

The attacker is a 30 year old from Mali named Moussa Coulibaly. Coulibaly was the surname of one of the Charlie Hebdo attackers, but the two men do not appear to be related in any way.

It appears as though this Coulibaly chose to carry out his attack after he was unable to travel to Syria to join the fighting there. The BBC says that Coulibaly was deported from Turkey, which he entered to try and travel to Syria. The authorities were tipped off by the fact that Coulibaly only bought a one way ticket to Turkey.

French authorities questioned Coulibaly on his return to Paris, but had taken no further legal action by the time of the attack.