Everything We Know about Nice after Bastille Day
Photo: Clément Mahoudeau/Getty
On Thursday, July 14, during Bastille Day celebrations in Nice, yet another terrorist attack— the third large-scale attack since Charlie Hebdo in January 2015— struck l’hexagone. Here’s everything we know about the attacks in Nice so far.
What happened?
A truck smashed into a crowd reveals enjoying the Bastille Day fireworks display in the southern, resort city of Nice, killing at least 84 and leaving some 200 injured. The driver, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, plowed the truck 1.3 miles through the crowd of spectators on Promenade des Anglais, littering the palm-lined street with bodies and sending hundreds more fleeing in terror. Bouhlel then exited the truck and opened fire on the crowdn before authorities shot him dead.
Who’s responsible?
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks carried out by Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel. An
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 Tunisian-French national had a criminal history— assault with a weapon, domestic violence, threats and robbery— but was not a known terrorist risk.
Ultimately, the motivation behind the attacks is still unknown, even though the Islamic State has taken responsibility.
France’s BFMTV reports that Bouhlel was a recently divorced father of three who had become depressed following the breakdown of his marriage. Neighbors told reporters Bouhlel was not particularly a man of religion, but rather a man interested in girls and salsa dancing. Police, not ruling out terrorism, also suggest Bouhlel may have been motivated more by a desire to commit suicide than ISIS ideology.