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| Death Toll From Terrorist Attack in Nice, France, Rises to 84 | Death Toll From Terrorist Attack in Nice, France, Rises to 84 |
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| PARIS — The death toll from the terrorist attack on a Bastille Day fireworks celebration in the southern French city of Nice rose to 84 on Friday, as the government raced to establish the attacker’s identity, extended a national state of emergency and absorbed the shock of a third major terrorist attack in 19 months. | |
| “We will not give in to the terrorist threat,” Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Friday morning after a cabinet meeting led by President François Hollande. “The times have changed, and France is going to have to live with terrorism.” | “We will not give in to the terrorist threat,” Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Friday morning after a cabinet meeting led by President François Hollande. “The times have changed, and France is going to have to live with terrorism.” |
| News organizations in France and Tunisia identified the man believed to have committed the attack as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, 31, a delivery-truck driver who was born on Jan. 3, 1985, and raised in Msaken, a town in northeastern Tunisia, and who moved to France around 2005. The police searched a home in Nice with Mr. Bouhlel’s name outside it. | |
| According to two officials briefed on the investigation but who were not authorized to discuss it publicly, Mr. Bouhlel had a history of petty crime, including burglary and theft, but his name was not in of a French database of suspected radicalized militants. | |
| The attack unfolded on Thursday around 10:30 p.m., when a large truck turned left onto the Promenade des Anglais, a seaside boulevard filled with an enormous crowd of spectators. | The attack unfolded on Thursday around 10:30 p.m., when a large truck turned left onto the Promenade des Anglais, a seaside boulevard filled with an enormous crowd of spectators. |
| The truck initially killed two people, and continued for another 1.1 miles down the boulevard, brutally mowing down people left and right until police officers shot and killed the driver outside a hotel and casino. | The truck initially killed two people, and continued for another 1.1 miles down the boulevard, brutally mowing down people left and right until police officers shot and killed the driver outside a hotel and casino. |
| The 84 dead included two Americans and one Russian, officials said. Scores of wounded, including at least 18 with critical injuries, were hospitalized. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. | The 84 dead included two Americans and one Russian, officials said. Scores of wounded, including at least 18 with critical injuries, were hospitalized. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. |
| Mr. Hollande, who had said on Thursday that a state of emergency put in place after the Nov. 13 attacks in and around Paris would end soon, found himself dealing with another calamity. The government will now seek to extend the state of emergency for three months. | Mr. Hollande, who had said on Thursday that a state of emergency put in place after the Nov. 13 attacks in and around Paris would end soon, found himself dealing with another calamity. The government will now seek to extend the state of emergency for three months. |
| Mr. Hollande and Mr. Valls arrived in Nice on Friday and met with wounded victims and hospital staff members at the Hôpital Pasteur. The country announced a three-day state of mourning, starting on Saturday. | |
| World leaders — from Pope Francis and President Obama to Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and Britain’s new prime minister, Theresa May — expressed sympathy and outrage. | World leaders — from Pope Francis and President Obama to Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and Britain’s new prime minister, Theresa May — expressed sympathy and outrage. |
| It was a sadly familiar ritual for France, where a total of 147 people were killed in terrorist attacks in and around Paris in January and November of last year, and it raised new questions throughout the Western world about the ability of extremists to sow terror. | It was a sadly familiar ritual for France, where a total of 147 people were killed in terrorist attacks in and around Paris in January and November of last year, and it raised new questions throughout the Western world about the ability of extremists to sow terror. |
| The internet reverberated with calls for prayer for victims of terrorist attacks in Brussels; Istanbul; Orlando, Fla.; Baghdad; and other cities struck by mass terrorism attacks attributed to Islamist extremists this year. | The internet reverberated with calls for prayer for victims of terrorist attacks in Brussels; Istanbul; Orlando, Fla.; Baghdad; and other cities struck by mass terrorism attacks attributed to Islamist extremists this year. |
| Only hours before the attack, Mr. Hollande had confirmed that a nationwide state of emergency put in place after the November attacks would end on July 26; the government will now move to extend that state of emergency, which confers extraordinary powers on police and prosecutors, for three months, and deploy additional soldiers to protect the nation. | Only hours before the attack, Mr. Hollande had confirmed that a nationwide state of emergency put in place after the November attacks would end on July 26; the government will now move to extend that state of emergency, which confers extraordinary powers on police and prosecutors, for three months, and deploy additional soldiers to protect the nation. |
| “The horror, the horror has, once again, hit France,” Mr. Hollande told the nation early Friday. He said the “terrorist character” of the assault was undeniable, and he described the use of a large truck to deliberately kill people as “a monstrosity.” | “The horror, the horror has, once again, hit France,” Mr. Hollande told the nation early Friday. He said the “terrorist character” of the assault was undeniable, and he described the use of a large truck to deliberately kill people as “a monstrosity.” |
| “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.” | “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, even as French officials largely confined themselves to expressions of grief and solidarity, criticisms of the government’s seeming inability to prevent attacks began to emerge. | |
| Alain Juppé, a former prime minister and one of the main candidates in the center-right primary for next year’s presidential election, told RTL radio Friday morning that “if all the means had been taken, this tragedy would not have occurred.” | |
| Mr. Juppé called for better coordination among France’s intelligence agencies, as a parliamentary inquiry recommended this month. | |
| “I am not aiming to accuse anybody at this stage, naturally,” Mr. Juppé added. “But we must know all the truth in all of its details | |
| Georges Fenech, a center-right lawmaker who presided over the parliamentary inquiry, said on Twitter early Friday that the attack a “predictable tragedy.” | |
| Two of the main measures Mr. Hollande announced on Friday — extending the state of emergency, and maintaining military patrols around the country at a high level — were deemed of limited use to thwart future attacks, according to the parliamentary inquiry, which called for the merging of some of France’s multiple intelligence agencies and the creation of a national coordinating body like the National Counterterrorism Center that the United States established after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. | |
| In blunt terms, Mr. Fenech told the iTélé news channel, “I don’t want to hear about national unity.” | |
| He continued: “Today, it is a duty to talk to the French, to tell them that out country is not equipped against Islamist terrorism.” | |
| “I am saying it very clearly, whatever the political cost,” he said. | |
| Some of the criticism leveled against the French authorities came from social media, where commentators said that a government app, set up to post alerts in case of emergencies, and unveiled before the Euro soccer tournament, had been too slow to send out a notification about the attack. | |
| Along with the adequacy of terrorism prevention, the use of a large commercial truck as the principal weapon of death raised new questions about how to prevent such attacks. | |
| The officials warned residents to stay indoors and canceled festivities in Nice, a seaside city of 340,000, including a five-day jazz festival and a concert on Friday night by Rihanna. | The officials warned residents to stay indoors and canceled festivities in Nice, a seaside city of 340,000, including a five-day jazz festival and a concert on Friday night by Rihanna. |
| Graphic television and video images showed the truck accelerating and tearing through the crowd, dozens of victims sprawled in its path, and the bullet-riddled windshield of the vehicle. Municipal officials and police officers initially described the truck as having been full of weapons and grenades, but those accounts had not been verified. | Graphic television and video images showed the truck accelerating and tearing through the crowd, dozens of victims sprawled in its path, and the bullet-riddled windshield of the vehicle. Municipal officials and police officers initially described the truck as having been full of weapons and grenades, but those accounts had not been verified. |
| Witnesses described scenes of pandemonium, with conflicting accounts on social media. Officials forcefully urged people not to spread rumors, specifically citing as false reports of a hostage-taking in Nice and an explosion at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, where there was a small, accidental fire. | Witnesses described scenes of pandemonium, with conflicting accounts on social media. Officials forcefully urged people not to spread rumors, specifically citing as false reports of a hostage-taking in Nice and an explosion at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, where there was a small, accidental fire. |
| “We were enjoying the celebrations when we suddenly saw people running everywhere and tables being pushed down by the movement of panic,” said Daphné Burandé, 15, who was at a bar near the beach to watch the fireworks. | |
| “No one explained to us what was happening, and I heard some gunshots not very far away,” she said. “I waited at the bar for more information because I thought it was a false alert. But then, people were still running.” | “No one explained to us what was happening, and I heard some gunshots not very far away,” she said. “I waited at the bar for more information because I thought it was a false alert. But then, people were still running.” |
| Another witness, Raja el-Kamel, said the attack seemed, at first, as if it might have been the act of a drunken driver. | Another witness, Raja el-Kamel, said the attack seemed, at first, as if it might have been the act of a drunken driver. |
| “There was a white truck that was advancing slowly,” Ms. Kamel, 43, said. “Then it started to plow into the crowd, zigzagging and crushing people. I could not believe it.” | “There was a white truck that was advancing slowly,” Ms. Kamel, 43, said. “Then it started to plow into the crowd, zigzagging and crushing people. I could not believe it.” |
| “But then I saw him aiming at people and crushing them,” she said. | “But then I saw him aiming at people and crushing them,” she said. |
| She added: “I was looking on my right, and there were bodies on the ground. I was looking on my left, there were also many bodies on the ground. It was a massacre.” | She added: “I was looking on my right, and there were bodies on the ground. I was looking on my left, there were also many bodies on the ground. It was a massacre.” |
| Christian Estrosi, the president of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, which includes Nice, expressed outrage, sympathy and frustration in an interview with BFM-TV on Friday morning, pointedly noting the January and November attacks last year, as well as the attacks in March in Brussels. | |
| “Questions are raised,” he said. “As I try to comfort the families, I also try to contain my anger, I can’t hide to you that I feel a deep anger. How is it possible in our country that after everyone said there was a state of emergency, a state of war, we forget it, after Charlie Hebdo and the Bataclan. After the Bataclan, we forgot, and there was Brussels. After Brussels, we forgot, and there was Nice, so there are questions that need to be answered.” | “Questions are raised,” he said. “As I try to comfort the families, I also try to contain my anger, I can’t hide to you that I feel a deep anger. How is it possible in our country that after everyone said there was a state of emergency, a state of war, we forget it, after Charlie Hebdo and the Bataclan. After the Bataclan, we forgot, and there was Brussels. After Brussels, we forgot, and there was Nice, so there are questions that need to be answered.” |
| Mr. Estrosi said that the families needed time to mourn, and he added that it was “our duty” to support them. But he also asked how it was possible that a single individual was apparently able to breach security, and said that he expected an answer from Bernard Cazeneuve, the interior minister. | Mr. Estrosi said that the families needed time to mourn, and he added that it was “our duty” to support them. But he also asked how it was possible that a single individual was apparently able to breach security, and said that he expected an answer from Bernard Cazeneuve, the interior minister. |
| “I don’t want to hear the usual ‘we are going to do an investigation commission,’ ” he said. | “I don’t want to hear the usual ‘we are going to do an investigation commission,’ ” he said. |
| The attack amounted to a gut-punch to a nation that was struggling to restore some sense of normalcy and had begun to drop its guard. | The attack amounted to a gut-punch to a nation that was struggling to restore some sense of normalcy and had begun to drop its guard. |
| Pierre-Henry Brandet, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, told the iTélé television station that the region has activated a so-called White Plan, put in place after the November assaults, and opened all emergency rooms to receive victims. | |
| The Islamic State, the militant group that asserted responsibility for the attacks in Paris, did not make any immediate claims for the Nice assault. The Islamic State’s Amaq News channel on the Telegram instant-messaging service had no mention of the assault. | |
| However, numerous social media accounts linked to the Islamic State and to Al Qaeda — which are competitors in the global jihadist struggle — praised the rampage. One pro-Qaeda channel quoted Mr. Valls expressing pain, followed by an emoji of a person laughing and of two hands clapping. | |
| On a channel created Thursday, called the United Cyber Caliphate, run by a group that has previously tried to carry out cyberattacks in the Islamic State’s name, a message included a single word — France — followed by a smiley face. | On a channel created Thursday, called the United Cyber Caliphate, run by a group that has previously tried to carry out cyberattacks in the Islamic State’s name, a message included a single word — France — followed by a smiley face. |
| The channel of an Islamic State member, Aswarti Media, which has repeatedly been shut down and claims 1,987 members, was posting the phrase “Allahu akbar.” Yet another suspected pro-ISIS channel showed an image of the Eiffel Tower going up in flames. | The channel of an Islamic State member, Aswarti Media, which has repeatedly been shut down and claims 1,987 members, was posting the phrase “Allahu akbar.” Yet another suspected pro-ISIS channel showed an image of the Eiffel Tower going up in flames. |
| The Nice attack took place less than a week after the end of the Euro 2016 soccer tournament. France had hosted the tournament, and the entire country had been on high alert. There had been reports that suspects linked to the attacks in Paris and the Brussels assault in March had planned an attack during the tournament. | The Nice attack took place less than a week after the end of the Euro 2016 soccer tournament. France had hosted the tournament, and the entire country had been on high alert. There had been reports that suspects linked to the attacks in Paris and the Brussels assault in March had planned an attack during the tournament. |
| With tens of thousands of people gathered at stadiums and in designated “fan zones” during the games, the police and private security took extraordinary measures to try to secure the sites. | With tens of thousands of people gathered at stadiums and in designated “fan zones” during the games, the police and private security took extraordinary measures to try to secure the sites. |
| It was difficult to know whether the measures were successful or if in fact there were no plans to attack the soccer tournament, and the question on many people’s minds was whether the security forces, as well as civilians, let their guard down once the tournament was over. | It was difficult to know whether the measures were successful or if in fact there were no plans to attack the soccer tournament, and the question on many people’s minds was whether the security forces, as well as civilians, let their guard down once the tournament was over. |