“He carried out the operation in response to calls to target nationals of states that are part of the coalition fighting the Islamic State”, said the news agency Amaq, which supports the militant group.
Advertisement
It has now been confirmed that 84 people have been killed and more than 50 injured after a truck mowed down crowds gathered in the street to watch fireworks celebrating the French holiday in Nice on Thursday.
But Saturday, France’s defense minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said: “I remind you that Daesh’s ideologue, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, has for several weeks repeated calls to attack directly, even individually, Frenchmen, in particular, or Americans, wherever they are, by any means necessary”, using an Arabic name for the Islamic State.
France on Saturday began three days of national mourning in homage to the victims – although that hasn’t stopped politicians from sniping at each other over who bore responsibility for the failing to stop the attack.
Following a ministerial meeting at the Elysee Palace, the French minister explained that it seems the attacker “was radicalized very quickly”.
“We are now facing individuals who are responding positively to the messages issued by the Islamic State without having had any special training and without having access to weapons that allow them to commit mass murder”, Cazeneuve said, according to the Post.
Shortly after 10:30 p.m., he reached the Promenade des Anglais, driving up on the sidewalk to avoid the police cars blocking the road.
Along the route of the attack there are shrines and memorials to the victims – among the tributes are teddy bears and toys, a reminder of the fact that children were among the dead.
A spokeswoman for the Nice hospital said 16 bodies had not yet been identified.
While some attacks on the west – such as the November assault on Paris and the March bombings in Brussels – were carried out by jihadists who have been to the centre of IS operations in Iraq and Syria, others have been led by so-called “lone-wolf” attackers. Speaking outside his home in Msaken, eastern Tunisia, the attacker’s father said he had suffered from depression and had “no links” to religion.
The elder Lahouaiej Bouhlel said of his son, “From 2002 to 2004, he had problems that caused a nervous breakdown”.
Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Tunisian, was known to law enforcement for petty theft and domestic violence.
Only one neighbour said she had any concerns about him, describing him as “a good-looking man who kept giving my two daughters the eye”.
“I want to call on all French patriots who wish to do so, to join this operational reserve”, said Cazeneuve.
The Islamic State (IS) on Saturday claimed responsibility for the terror attack which killed 84 people in the French city Nice as five suspects linked to the killer were arrested.
The French people’s approval of their president has enjoyed bounces following the previous attacks, but his popularity ratings have remained the lowest ever for a modern leader in France.
“Afterward, people will always say that we should have done things differently”.
Government spokesperson Stephane Le Foll slammed Juppe’s comments, saying there was as much security present for the fireworks display as there had been for the Euro 2016 football tournament in the city.
He said there were more than 185 police, gendarmes and soldiers on the ground, as well as municipal police and a vast network of surveillance cameras.
“Despite all of that, this man’s decisions… created the drama and horror we experienced”.
Advertisement
The truck zigzagged for two kilometres into the crowd before police bullets killed the driver and brought an end to the carnage.
