The French Council of the Muslim Faith condemned the knife attack that claimed the lives of three in Notre Dame Cathedral, in Nice on Thursday.

The council described the attack, in a tweet, as an act of terrorism; and urged French Muslims to cancel any celebrations of Prophet Muhammad's birthday, observed today, to mourn the loss of the three victims.

A knife-wielding attacker reportedly decapitated a woman and stabbed two others to death earlier today. It was also reported that there are others that have been wounded in the attack.

The attacker has been detained by French authorities, and sent to a hospital after being shot. He was heard screaming "Allahu Akbar" while perpetrating the attack and being dragged away by the police.

The French Council of the Muslim Faith is a national elected body that serves as an official interlocutor with the French state in the regulation of Muslim religious activities