He said information from Lahouaiej-Bouhlel’s phone showed searches and photos that indicated he had been studying an attack since 2015.
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The terrorism investigation launched by Paris prosecutor’s office in the wake of the attack has unveiled the premeditated nature of the Nice attack, said Molins, who previously said the 31-year old perpetrator, Mohammed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, had gotten radicalized “very rapidly”.
Molins said authorities are investigating five suspects who are in custody on terror charges related to the attack that Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel carried out on Bastille Day, France’s main national holiday.
“It appears at this stage of the investigation and in light of research and photographs that Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel seems to have envisaged and developed his criminal project several months before the act”.
Authorities had initially pointed to a rapid radicalisation by Lahouaiej Bouhlel, after several members of his family and friends said he showed no sign of being religious.
Chokri’s fingerprints have been found on one of the truck doors. None of them had been known to intelligence services. “I am glad, they brought in Allah’s soldiers to finish the job”.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve yesterday faced calls from the right-wing opposition to resign after a report in “Liberation” newspaper claimed that only one municipal police auto was guarding the spot where Bouhlel began his run into the crowd.
The attack came hours after police removed four vans that had blocked Promenade des Anglais for a military parade earlier in the day, according to The Telegraph newspaper in the United Kingdom.
Bouhlel was a resident of Nice and originally hailed from the Tunisian town of Msaken.
President Francois Hollande, whose personal ratings have plunged since the attack, said the investigation by the national police inspectorate and its report due next week would clear the air after days of accusations from local politicians. They will face preliminary terrorism charges over their alleged roles in the July 14 attack.
Using witness statements and photos, Liberation claimed only one local police auto was stationed at the entrance to the boulevard.
“When there is a tragedy, or in this case an attack with many dead. there will naturally be questions”, Mr Hollande said during a visit to Dublin, adding that the conclusions of the police probe would be announced next week.
The aftermath of the Nice attack has seen France being torn by finger-pointing and accusations that security was wanting despite the state of emergency in place since the Paris attacks last November.
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“There’s no room for polemics, there’s only room for transparency”, he said.
