Three soldiers doing their rounds in Nice, France outside a Jewish community center have been attacked on Tuesday by an aggressor that had a butcher's knife, leaving two of them injured.

The attacker was later identified as Moussa Coulibaly. According to officials, the lives of the soldiers were not in danger as their injuries were not that fatal and they were treated right away at the crime scene.

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However, French President Francois Hollande said in a statement that the attack was a criminal act and urged authorities to investigate and find out why the incident happened and what the motive of the aggressor was.

The security officials were said to be in the Jewish community center as security measures have been heightened in the area in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attack and the hostage-taking at a Kosher market. The two attacks had left 20 people dead including the cartoonists in the said satirical magazine, some shoppers, and the attackers.

Incidentally, Coulibaly is thought to be a relative of Amedy Coulibaly, the attacker at the kosher grocery in Paris. However, the suspected link has not yet been confirmed.

Amedy had killed a police officer and four Jewish shoppers in the market, prompting a standoff with the police, which ended in his death.

In a statement, Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi said: "(The) assault ... seemed extremely deliberate or even premeditated against the military. Justice must be extremely severe."

According to officials, Coulibaly has not done much damage to the military officials doing their rounds as they wore protective vests. Upon realization that his stabs were not doing much damage, he reportedly tried to hurt himself by stabbing his own face.

Also, according to French intelligence, Coulibaly has been under investigation after he tried to fly to Istanbul, Turkey from Rome back in January 29 but he was put back on a flight to Rome on the same day.

Turkish police said that he was traveling along the route used by potential militants from Europe who want to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).