French police arrest suspects in beheading attack
French police arrest suspects in beheading attackReuters

The White House condemned on Friday condemned a spate of terrorist attacks in France, Tunisia and Kuwait as "heinous" acts of terrorism, saying it was working with the affected countries to offer any necessary support.

"The United States condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks in France, Kuwait, and Tunisia today," the White House said in a statement quoted by Reuters.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of these heinous attacks, their loved ones, and the people of all three countries," it added.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu responded to the attacks as well, saying they “again underscore that the enlightened world is struggling against dark forces.”

“The fight against the murderous terrorism of extremist Islam requires unity, the beginning of which is the unequivocal condemnation of the murderers and those who support them," added Netanyahu.

Suspected Islamic terrorists killed at least 28 people at a Tunisian seaside resort and 25 worshippers at a Shiite Muslim mosque in Kuwait.

Those attacks came just hours after a Muslim terrorist decapitated one man and injured several others in an attack on a French gas company.

"The intent was without doubt to cause an explosion. It was a terrorist attack," said President Francois Hollande in Brussels, cutting short an EU summit to chair emergency meetings in the French capital.

Hollande said a vehicle driven at high speed by "one person, maybe accompanied by another" smashed into the factory, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Lyon.

The attack is thought to be the first instance in France of a beheading during an attack -- which has become a trademark of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria.

The 35-year-old attacker, identified as Yassin Salhi, had been known to security services for a number of years but did not have a criminal record, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said, according to AFP.

ISIS has urged its supporters to carry out attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks in France and Tunisia yet, but in Kuwait the attack has been claimed by an ISIS-affiliated group.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)