France will supply weapons to Iraq to support its fight against the Islamic State group, President Francois Hollande said, but ruled out any troop deployment in the country. The announcement was presented as retaliation for the Nice truck attack.
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Hollande insisted that the move did not change the nature of France’s military involvement in the region.
Mr Hollande said he would also be sending the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the region “at the end of September”.
Although Islamic State militants have claimed responsibility for the attack, French authorities have yet to find a direct link between Bouhlel and the militant group.
Molins cited text messages, more than 1,000 phone calls and video of the attack scene on the phone of one of five suspects who are in custody and facing terrorism charges. Bouhlel was killed by police.
Meanwhile, criticism over the policing of the Nice event has continued to grow as it emerged the city had rejected a request from French anti-terror police to destroy security camera images of the deadly attack on 14 July. The official was not authorized to be publicly named.
City officials argued the images could be used as evidence in the case.
However, the images could also reveal the level of security that was being provided. Investigators will keep copies of the images.
While Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve originally stated that national police were guarding the street where the attack occurred, he has since admitted that there was only a light police presence guarding the entrance to the pedestrian zone on the night of the attack.
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Nice City Hall has put up the names of all 84 people killed in the attack on two black banners. The victims were of 18 nationalities, Hollande said. More than 300 people were wounded, and Hollande said that 12 are “fighting for their lives”.
