At least 84 people have been killed and dozens injured after a truck plowed into a crowd in Nice, France, during Bastille Day celebrations. Weapons and grenades were found in the vehicle following the attack.
Bastille day attack: what we know so far [Updated]
ATTACK
- A large white truck drove through a crowd of people gathered in Nice, France who were celebrating Bastille Day, France’s “Independence Day” around 11pm local time. So far at least 84 people have been pronounced dead, including 10 children. Another 18 are in a critical condition.
- The driver zig-zagged along a 2km road, Promenade des Anglais, which is situated on the waterfront.
- The driver also fired shots either before or while driving, and investigators later found guns and grenades in the truck. Some of these were deemed fake by law enforcement.
- The victims are all of different nationality and religion.
- This is being treated as a terrorist attack, and anti-terrorism officials took over the scene of the crime.
- No group has taken responsibility yet.
SUSPECT
- The driver, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, was a 31-year old Tunisian-Franco national who lived in Nice.
- Has a history of petty crime, but not on any terrorist watchlist.
- He was reportedly not radicalized.
FRANCE’S RESPONSE
- Francois Hollande has extended the country’s state of emergency for 3 months.
- There will be three national mourning days starting on Saturday, July 16th.
- The military is mobilizing 10,000 troops, and the reserves have been called in.
- Responses from the interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, and prime minister, Manuel Valls, have condemned the threat, called for solidarity, and have made clear that terrorist is a real threat in today’s world.
- Francois Hollande arrived in Nice to meet about security in defense, along with Valls and Cazeneuve.
INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
- World leaders have condemned the attack, including, Barack Obama, Angela Merkel, Xi Jinping, Mariano Rajoy, Theresa May, David Cameron, Ban Ki-Moon, and Pope Francis along with officials from Spain, Sweden, Italy, Turkey, and Egypt.
- Many global organizations have also condemned the attack, including NATO, the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, and the Arab League.
- ISIS supporters celebrated the attacks on social media.
- INTERPOL Incident Response Team has been sent to Nice to provide disaster victim identification assistance.
More Updates
- It is confirmed that the suspect’s wife is being held by Police for questioning.
- The local government in Nice is warning about fake charities that are pretending to collect money for the victims.
- France’s extended state of emergency allows for warrantless searches and detaining of suspects. These are the same measures that have been in effect since the attacks in Paris last year.