The Tunisian-born driver who killed 84 people after slamming his truck into a crowd of revellers in the French resort of Nice had suffered from depression but had nothing to do with religion, according to his father.
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There have also reportedly been exchanges of gunfire between the driver and the police.
Sebastien, a neighbor who spoke on condition that his full name was not used, said Bouhlel did not seem overtly religious, often dressed in shorts and sometimes wore work boots. A large truck mowed through revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, killing more than 80 people and sending people fleeing into the sea as it bore down for more than a mile along the Riviera city’s famed waterfront promenade.
“Although Thursday’s attack has not been claimed, this sort of thing fits in perfectly with calls for murder from such terrorist organisations”, Molins added.
Tonight landmarks around the world, including the Houses of Parliament, are expected to be lit in the colours of the French national flag as a symbol of solidarity with the victims of the attack.
He said the family took Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel to a doctor who prescribed medication to counter his depression.
Bouhlel has been described as a loner.
Molins said that “he was on the other hand totally unknown to intelligence services… and was never placed on a watch list for radicalisation”.
He was convicted for the first time in March this year, for road rage, French Justice Minister Jean-Jacques Urvoas said.
The lobby of a nearby luxury hotel was transformed into an emergency treatment center for the shocked and injured, and all hospitals in the Nice area were put on alert to receive the injured. Witnesses say about 40 elite police raided a small apartment at Rue Miollis, north of the central station, where one individual was arrested.
The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) said it had reviewed its travel advice for France, saying there was a heightened threat of terrorism there after the attack.
A man covered with a towel was apprehended by French police this morning as the investigation continued two days after the savage attack on the Promenade des Anglais.
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The attack falls in line with a call made by Islamic State group spokesman Abu Mohammed al Adnani, who urged followers in 2014 to kill unbelievers with cars if they can not find more specialized weaponry. “It’s a sign that life is coming back even if, naturally, nothing will erase those images of horror….” But some restaurants remained closed and floral tributes remained attached to temporary railing.
