At least three people have been killed with two of them beheaded in a ‘terrorist’ knife attack at a catholic cathedral in Nice, France.

According to reports, the attack began around 9 am just as mass at the Notre Dame basilica – the largest Roman Catholic church in Nice started.

Among the three people that have been confirmed dead, a man and a woman were beheaded while several others were left injured in the attack at Notre Dame church in Nice, south of France.

Police quickly rushed to the scene, where they shot and arrested the attacker, who has been taken to hospital.

The city’s mayor, Christian Estrosi, tweeted:

‘I am on site with the [police] who arrested the perpetrator of the attack. 

‘I confirm that everything suggests a terrorist attack in the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Nice.’

French interior minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted:

“A police operation is in progress. “Avoid the area and follow the instructions.”

He also announced that he has called a “crisis meeting” in response to the attack.

The attack comes days after a teenage jihadist beheaded Samuel Paty, a history teacher for showing pupils cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad while teaching them about the importance of free speech.

He was posthumously awarded the Legion d‘Honneur, France’s highest award by French President Emmanuel Macron in recognition of the fact that he died for trying to explain the importance of freedom of speech.

President Macron also described the murder as an ‘Islamic terrorist attack’ that took the life of the French teacher.

He reportedly said: “Unity and firmness are the only answers to the monstrosity of Islamist terrorism.”