The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but it’s unclear whether Bouhlel had concrete links to the group.
Advertisement
From July 1 Bouhlel made near-daily searches for video of nasheeds – religious chants used in Islamic State propaganda – as well as videos of readings from the Koran.
Shouts of “Murderers!” and “Resign!” rang out as Valls and two ministers left the seafront where a huge crowd gathered to remember the 84 people mowed down on July 14 by truck driver Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, an AFP reporter said.
Authorities have now detained seven people over the killings, claimed by Islamic State.
In Ariane, a district with a big Muslim population a few kilometers from the Abbatoirs neighborhood where Bouhlel lived, the imam of the local Al Fourkane mosque said radical groups preyed on the weak, and cautioned against focusing on the killer’s faith.
Prosecutors said Bouhlel sent a text message to someone just before the attack – telling them to “bring more weapons”.
He was shot dead by police when his vehicle’s path along the Promenade des Anglais was eventually halted.
“(IS) is encouraging individuals unknown to our services to stage attacks … that is without a doubt the case in the Nice attack”, he said Sunday.
Authorities found “very violent” photos on his computer, of corpses, fighters posing with the IS flag and photos of Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden.
French film distributor Studiocanal has asked cinemas to pull the thriller “Bastille Day”, about a planned attack on the eve of France’s national holiday, after the real-life truck attack in Nice.
Bouhlel, a heavy drinker with a history of spousal abuse against his wife (the couple was in the process of divorcing), was “very much the stereotype of a petty criminal”, Delobel told CNN.
Following the Nice attack, three days of national mourning were declared.
Republicans leader and former president Nicolas Sarkozy, eyeing another run for the top job next year, has called for anyone showing signs of being radicalised to be forced to wear an electronic tag, placed under house arrest or kept in a detention centre. “We are in war, a total war”.
“It will be us or them”, he added, calling for all foreign-born terror suspects to be deported.
France’s reserve force comprises civilian volunteers in the police, army and paramilitary police, who can be deployed for specific missions.Hollande’s Socialist government had proposed a three-month extension to the state of emergency but relented to demands from the conservative opposition that the tough security laws be kept in place until the end of January.
“There is no zero risk”.
A crucial element in that debate is the question of French police coordination, a source of particular tension after the November attacks, when the first officer to reach the besieged Bataclan concert hall was withdrawn in favor of more elite anti-terrorism forces.
“We must remain united and focused because we must be strong in the face of this threat”, he said, accusing political foes of unseemly exploitation of the tragedy before the dead have even been buried.
Many survivors are still waiting for news of their loved ones.
Advertisement
At least 10 children were killed, along with tourists from Ukraine, Switzerland, Germany and several people from Russian Federation and its neighbours.
