France’s third major terrorist attack in the past 18 months has left Paris fending off criticism over security failures and scrambling to reassure its citizens they are protected.
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Some of those killed died at the scene, others while hospitalized, prosecutor’s office spokeswoman Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre said.
In a statement, Mr Cazeneuve accused the paper of conspiracy theories and said several “heroic” national police – who killed the attacker after an exchange of fire – were stationed further down the promenade.
Eighteen of the 85 people still in hospital are in a life-threatening condition, the country’s health minister said on Sunday. He said any police “shortcomings” will be carefully addressed but defended French authorities’ actions.
The mother of Bouhlel’s three kids is in the process of divorcing the 31-year-old Tunisian. French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday he was ready to extend by another six months the state of emergency imposed in the country after last November’s terrorist attacks in Paris.
“While this government is in place in France, there will be no detention of suspects for an indeterminate duration”, he said. While they all said he had always been indifferent to religion, some described a recent and very rapid conversion to radical Islam, the official said.
Neighbors described Bouhlel as volatile, prone to drinking and womanizing, and in the process of getting a divorce.
“It’s bad to say but we need a stronger prime minister with laws against radicalism”, Isabel said.
Islamic State-run media outlet called Bouhlel a “soldier” of the Islamic State, who earlier called for jihadists in France to use cars or trucks as weapons.
The pile lies only a few metres from the makeshift memorial that has cropped up on the promenade, a sea of flowers, candles, teddy bears and loving messages. Some areas are still stained by blood.
The site is also becoming a platform for anger at the attacker. The attacker then opened fire on people in the crowd before being shot dead by police.
A woman with a potted plant asked if she could put flowers there, unaware of the significance of the spot. A second picture shows him standing by the 19-tonne white lorry, grinning for the camera, alongside a man wearing a Paris Saint-Germain football shirt. “It’s hard to say, but other lives will be lost”, he said, adding that it was important to respect the “state of law”.
“Are you defending him?” the man said, incredulously.
Many families are angry that they couldn’t find information about missing loved ones.
Prosecutors say painstaking measures are needed to avoid errors of identification.
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Apparently taken days before he drove into crowds celebrating Bastille Day in the southern French city, the image also shows an unidentified man sitting on the other side of the cab.
