What we know about the #NiceAttack in France (Photos)

BY DUNIA MAG / Twitter: @duniamagazine

At least 84 people are reported dead and 202 injured in France after last night’s tragic attack in Nice.

The city of Nice is located in the south eastern part of France along its Mediterranean coastline.

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Just after 10:30PM local time on Thursday July 14, a large white truck drove into a crowd of people celebrating France’s national holiday, Bastille Day.

The driver first shot a gun into the crowd before driving two kilometers along the Promenade des Anglais, the main street in Nice, mowing down people who had gathered to watch fireworks, regional President Christian Estrosi told CNN affiliate BFM-TV. (CNN)

 

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Officials say up to 30,000 people were in the area at the time of the attack.

“I heard lots of screams and everybody was running in different directions. I didn’t know what was going on, it felt surreal and I didn’t move but thought it must be some kind of practical joke.
“Then I saw the truck coming straight at me swerving all over the place. It was perhaps 50 yards away. After that there was no conscious thought, my body took over, time slowed down and I ran and thank God I got out of the way,” said Pouya, from Toronto. (BBC)

 

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Women, men, children, visitors, residents we among the victims. They were transported to the local hospital known as Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice.

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An injured individual is seen on the ground (REUTERS/Eric Gaillard)

At least 10 of those killed were children.

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In an address the next day, French President Holland called the attack “terrorism of opportunity”. This is the third major terrorist attack on France in 19 months.

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Woman cries asking for her son as she walk near scene of the attack (CNN)

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People cross the street with their hands on thier heads as a French soldier secure the area after a truck ran into a crowd celebrating the Bastille Day national holiday in Nice, France (REUTERS/Jean-Pierre Amet)

 

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French police forces and forensic officers stand next to a truck that ran into the crowd (REUTERS/Eric Gaillard)

On Europe 1 radio the next day, Eric Ciotti, local member of Parliament said,

“A person jumped on to the truck to try to stop it… It’s at that moment that the police were able to neutralise this terrorist. I won’t forget the look of this policewoman who intercepted the killer.”

The driver of the truck and man behind the killings was identified as 31-year-old French-Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel. He is said to have rented the vehicle some 3 days earlier.

The perpetrator of Nice’s worst ever terror attack was reportedly a married father of three who neighbours described as a “loner” with a George Clooney haircut.
According to several French reports, Bouhel was born in Tunisia in 1985 and had a French residency permit. He was known to the police for assault with a weapon, domestic violence, threats and robbery but had no previous convictions for terrorism. (Telegraph.co.uk)

 

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A man reacts near bouquets of flowers as people pay tribute near the scene of the attack on Friday July 15, 2016 (REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol)

Police say investigations are under way to determine whether the driver acted alone or with other accomplices. 3 days of national mourning have been declared in France starting Saturday.

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