France Says Truck Attacker Was Tunisia Native With Record of Petty Crime
- Local paper Nice Matin names suspect as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a French Tunisian man, 31, from Nice
- French, Americans, Armenians and Ukrainians among confirmed dead – dozens more are injured or missing
- Eyewitnesses said driver zig-zagged at 40mph to hit crowds of people who were sent flying or jammed under wheels
- Bouhlel then opened fire with a gun from cab of the lorry before being killed by a police marksman in shootout
Nearly 24 hours later there was no claim of responsibility, and the Paris prosecutor, François Molins, said the killer, whom he identified as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, had been “completely unknown by intelligence services.”

Mr. Bouhlel rented the truck on Monday in Saint-Laurent-du-Var, about six miles west of Nice, and then parked it in the Auriol neighborhood of eastern Nice.
Just before the carnage Thursday night, hundreds, if not thousands, had gathered on the promenade to watch a colorful display of fireworks and live music for the national holiday.
But as the last firework fizzled, gunfire rang out — authorities and witnesses say the driver shot from the cab of the truck — and the truck accelerated down the crowded street.
At 9:34 p.m., according to surveillance footage, Mr. Bouhlel bicycled to the truck and drove it westward, arriving at 10:30 in the Magnan neighborhood, north of the Promenade des Anglais.
He drove into the crowd, heading east on the promenade, around 15 minutes later.
Mr. Bouhlel initially crushed two people and then drove 1.1 miles east, running over people left and right. Outside the Negresco Hotel, Mr. Bouhlel fired at three police officers who fired back, then pursued him for about a thousand feet. They killed him outside a Hyatt hotel and casino.
Mr. Bouhlel was found dead in the passenger seat. In the truck’s cabin, police found an automatic 7.65-millimeter pistol, a cartridge clip, and several cartridges. They also found a fake automatic pistol; two fake assault rifles, a Kalashnikov and an M-16; a nonfunctioning grenade; and a mobile phone and documents.
Among the dead were two German students and their teacher from the Paula-Fürst-School ; two Americans Sean Copeland, 51, and his son, Brodie, 11, of Texas ; two Tunisians, three Australians, two Chinese and one Russian. Of the 202 people wounded, 52 had serious injuries and 25 were in intensive care, Mr. Molins said.
Mr. Hollande said the victims were physically and psychologically scarred. “Many told me that they had no recollection of what might have caused their wounds,” he said. “However, they remember the bodies that were torn to shreds right in front of their eyes.”
Despite mounting criticism over France’s efforts to prevent terrorism attacks, Mr. Hollande praised French security forces, saying they had “taken all necessary measures so that this fireworks show might be as protected as possible — as had been the case during the European Championship soccer tournament.”
LEARN TO LIVE WITH TERRORISM

“The horror, the horror has, once again, hit France,” Mr. Hollande told the nation early Friday morning before leaving for Nice.
“France has been struck on the day of her national holiday,” he said. “Human rights are denied by fanatics, and France is clearly their target.”
The attacks could add to the political problems facing Mr. Hollande, who is expected to seek a second five-year term next year even though he is deeply unpopular. On Friday, criticisms of the government’s seeming inability to prevent attacks began to emerge.
Sources:
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/15/europe/nice-france-truck/
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/16/world/europe/attack-nice-bastille-day.html?_r=0

Wounded victims of the attack in Nice, France, are evacuated from the scene.

Police officers and rescued workers stand near a van that drove into a crowd in Nice, France on July 14, 2016

Truck plowed into crowd in Nice, France on July 14, 2016

French police forces and forensic officers stand next to a truck that ran into a crowd in Nice, France, July 14, 2016.

Multiple people were killed when a truck plowed into a crowd, according to the mayor of Nice, France
Bodies were covered after a truck plowed into a crowd celebrating the Bastille Day national holiday in Nice, France.

PANIC IN Nice, France AFTER A TRUCK HIT A CROWD GATHERED FOR BASTILLE DAY

First Moment of Truck Terrorist Attack in Nice, France Visit page View image

Truck Drives Into Crowd at Bastille Day Celebration in Nice, France

Images of the aftermath surfaced on social media following an attack in Nice, France

Police officers and rescue workers arrive to assist the crowd that a truck drove through during Bastille Day celebrations in Nice, France.
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