President Donald Trump expressed support for far-right French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, but stopped short of a complete endorsement.
IS had swiftly claimed the attack was carried out by one of its "fighters".
In comments to the Associated Press, he said he was not endorsing Le Pen, but nevertheless called her the candidate who is "strongest on borders, and she's the strongest on what's been going on in France".
No wonder Trump is a fan.
Both Le Pen and Macron hold a slight edge over competitors, according to recent polls.
Beyond France, he has portrayed his victory as the start of a new political era, one in which more electoral surprises are to come.
If elected president, Le Pen has promised several reforms in her first two months in office including deporting foreigners who are being monitored by intelligence services, denying free health care to illegal immigrants and revoking French nationality to those convicted of having ties to jihadism.
Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen said the attack showed the time for naivety "is over". "I was here working on the Champs-Elysees", he said.
Iran approves 6 to run for president, but Ahmadinejad is out
Rouhani, 68, is a moderate elected in 2013 on pledges of greater personal freedoms and improved relations with the West. Guardian Council has approved six candidates for the May 19 vote, including incumbent President Hassan Rouhani.
In the televised statements, they competed to talk tough on security and vowed a crackdown on Islamic State (IS) terror group that took responsibility for the Thursday night attack.
During the last round of the French presidential debates, which took place Thursday, Fillon said that counterterrorism would be the issue of highest priority for the next country's president and called for a broad global coalition against terrorism adding that it was impossible to defeat it without the cooperation of Russian Federation and a dialogue with Iran.
Trump tweeted hours after a gunman, identified as 39-year-old Karim Cheurti, shot dead a policeman and wounded two others on the world-famous Champs-Elysees boulevard.
"Nothing must hamper this democratic moment, which is fundamental for our nation", Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said after an emergency security cabinet meeting on April 21.
Our country, France, has again known the barbarism of a terrorist attack at the very heart of our capital, she said, as she hit out at France's so-called leaders for failing to protect citizens. However, under Le Pen's leadership, the party has tried to make itself slightly more palatable to voters. "There's no such thing as zero risk".
If the European Union rejects the reforms Le Pen demands, she will campaign for a French exit.
Fillon, who has slowly clawed back some ground lost after a fake jobs scandal, saw his score in the first round rise half a percentage point to 20 per cent.
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