Bastille Day terror attack: 84 dead, 100 injured after truck rams crowds in Nice
The truck driver behind the Nice terror attacks, which left at least 84 people dead and 100 injured, has been identified and named. Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel is a 31-year-old Tunisian-born Frenchman, previously known to police for 'violence'.
With the country on high alert, an unattended bag reportedly sparked the evacuation of Nice Airport around 10pm (AEST). The military moved into the building, with passengers forced to wait outside. After 30 minutes, the all clear was given and passengers were able to return.
WHAT WE KNOW
• Truck crashes into crowd during Bastille Day in Nice, France
• Death toll raised to 84, more than 100 injured
• Driver identified as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Tunisian-born Frenchman
• 50 in critical condition
• President Hollande condemns the attack, says nation under threat from 'Islamic terrorism'
• Nice Airport evacuated after "suspicious find". Given all clear after 30mins
• One Australian teen hospitalised with leg injuries
• Truck driver shot dead by police
• Grenades, guns and ammunition found inside truck
• Anti-terror authorities have taken over investigation
The airport had been full of thousands of people trying to leave the area after the devastation.
The man who drove a heavy truck loaded with arms into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in Nice was "known to police", according to an official source.
Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel is believed to be a 31-year-old Tunisian-born Frenchman.
Identification found on the terrorist's body carried the name, but the man's DNA has yet to be confirmed, Associated Press has reported.
While he had several run-ins with the law previously, Bouhlel was not on a watch list of French intelligence services as a suspected militant.
He was convicted for the first time in March this year, French Justice Minister Jean-Jacques Urvoas said.
“There was an altercation between him and another driver and he hurled a wooden pallet at the man,” Urvoas said.
As it was his first conviction, Bouhlel was given a suspended sentence and had to contact police once a week, which he did.
Tunisian security sources told Reuters Bouhlel had last visited his hometown of Msaken four years ago.
His home town Msaken close to the coastal city of Sousse, where a gunman killed 38 people, mostly British holidaymakers, on a beach a year ago.
Many residents of the town have migrated to Nice, where the Tunisian community numbers about 130,000 people.
French President Francois Hollande has arrived in Nice around 11pm (AEST), reminding the world his country is united in the fight against terror.
"We can overcome this evil because we are France as one," he said.
"We are dealing with a struggle which will take a long time. We have an enemy that will continue to strike people and countries who have freedom as a fundamental value.
"We should be strong. The world as a whole is looking at us again."
President Hollande said he will use "all necessary means" to defeat the terror network which has now targeted France three times in 18 months.
He confirmed at least 50 people still remain in a critical condition "between life and death" after the terror attack.
Police have confirmed Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel was not on any watch lists of French intelligence services, but he was known to police - allegedly in relation to "petty theft" and violence crimes.
France has called for three days of mourning in the wake of the attack. Prime Minister Hollande has said the threat "weighs heavily on France".
On Friday, Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop confirmed Australians were injured in the attack while speaking at a press conference.
“We stand resolutely with France at this time,” Bishop said. "We condemn this attack. We support our friends in France and join with others around the world in hoping that this could be the end of this horrific incident that is targeted at unarmed civilians."
She said the attack “has the hallmarks of a terrorist attack” but declined to say more until the findings of the investigation in Nice were finalised.
Any Australians preparing to travel to France should be mindful of travel advice, Bishop said.
“We call on Australians to exercise a high degree of caution in France."
The attack came just hours after French President Francois Hollande announced the state of emergency in place since last November's Paris terror attacks in which 130 people were killed would be lifted at the end of the month.
In the wake of the horror in which men, women and children were targeted indiscriminately, the French president called for a three-month of extension of the nationwide emergency footing.
"The state of emergency, which was to end of 26 July, will be extended by three months. A law will be submitted to parliament next week for this," he said.
The 10,000 military and personnel supporting security forces would be bolstered with many sent to patrol the nation's borders, he said.
President Hollande added French military operations in Syria and Iraq would be "reinforced".
Shortly after the president's address, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve confirmed 80 people had died in the attack.
"We know that the terrorism threat level remains extremely high," Cazeneuve said, adding investigators were yet to identify the assailant's identity.
Truck driver 'neutralised'
The driver pointed his truck into a large crowd and accelerated, mowing people over while fireworks were on display in Nice.
One Australian witness told 7 News the driver swerved the truck between the footpath and the road to cause maximum destruction.
The vehicle reportedly travelled a distance of about two kilometres and reached speeds of up to 70kph before authorities opened fire at the driver.
The driver fired a number of shots into the ground before he was killed, according to the local regional president.
Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet confirmed the driver was "neutralised" and investigations were continuing into whether he acted alone.
French anti-terror authorities were quick to take control of the investigation into the attack.
Christian Estrosi, president of the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region where Nice is located, described the attack as the "worst tragedy in the history of Nice".
He earlier urged local residents to stay indoors until further notice.
Estrosi also confirmed to BFM TV the driver fired into the crowd before he was shot by police.
“The driver fired on the crowd, according to the police who killed him,” he said.
Estrosi also confirmed the lorry was carrying a cache of weapons including grenades and ammunition.
'Bodies bodies flying like bowling pins'
Nice journalist Damien Allemand was by the oceanside promenade watching fireworks when he heard a noise of panic and cries.
"A fraction of a second later, an enormous white truck came along at a crazy speed, turning the wheel to mow down the maximum number of people," he said.
"I saw bodies flying like bowling pins along its route. Heard noises, cries that I will never forget."
A Nice native told AP that he saw a truck drive into the crowd and then witnessed the man emerge with a gun and start shooting. Some have said they thought the gunshots were fireworks, part of the celebrations.
"There was carnage on the road," Wassim Bouhlel said. "Bodies everywhere."
"There are reports of dozens of people killed, and many more injured. Bodies are lying everywhere," another eyewitness said.
"Police are flooding the streets, including anti-terrorism officers. Nobody knows what to do, except to hide away. Gunmen are meant to be targeting hotels."
Social media videos show people running through the streets of Nice away from the crash site, while several others lay injured or dead on the ground.
A journalist from the local newspaper Nice-Matin said he saw blood and people running around in panic.
“People are running, it’s panic,” the reporter said. “There is blood, no doubt injuries.”
False reports gunman took hostages
Reports that a gunmen took hostages into the Le Méridien hotel and a restaurant in the city are false.
A spokesman for the French interior ministry confirmed through Twitter there was not hostage situation.
Facebook safety check
Facebook has activated its Safety Check feature for Nice after the Bastille Day attack.
The Safety Check feature allows friends, family and users to notify each other on Facebook that they're safe while near a major crisis.
Australians in Nice
A group of teenage Australians in Nice on their 'Gap Year' were on the top deck of a tour bus and had to jump out of the way as the truck rammed through the crowd.
They are waiting in a hotel lobby nearby who are handing out blankets, water and chocolate.
Sydney girl Bronte Stuntz is among the group has been hospitalised with leg injuries.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs has said the Australian embassy in Paris is making urgent calls to determine whether any Australians have been affected by attack in Nice.
Those worried about loved ones can also contact the DFAT 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 or +61 2 6261 3305 if calling from overseas.
Obama: A horrific terrorist attack
US president Barack Obama released a statement condemning "what appears to be a horrific terrorist attack".
"On behalf of the American people, I condemn in the strongest terms what appears to be a horrific terrorist attack in Nice, France, which killed and wounded dozens of innocent civilians," the statement reads.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and other loved ones of those killed, and we wish a full recovery for the many wounded.
"I have directed my team to be in touch with French officials, and we have offered any assistance that they may need to investigate this attack and bring those responsible to justice.
"We stand in solidarity and partnership with France, our oldest ally, as they respond to and recover from this attack.
"On this Bastille Day, we are reminded of the extraordinary resilience and democratic values that have made France an inspiration to the entire world, and we know that the character of the French Republic will endure long after this devastating and tragic loss of life."
State of emergency
President Hollande was heading back to Paris early Friday for crisis talks regarding what a local official described as a "major criminal attack".
"He is coming back to Paris and will go directly to Place Beauvau to the crisis cell," the presidency said.
Hollande had been in the southern city of Avignon on a private visit.
The attack came hours after the President announced the state of emergency declared after last November's deadly Paris attacks would come to an end later this month.
"We can't prolong the state of emergency forever. That would make no sense, it would mean that we were no longer a republic with laws which can apply in all circumstances," he said, while acknowledging that the threat "remains there."
Speaking on the national July 14 holiday, Hollande said the decree after the November 13 attacks will not be renewed beyond July 26, because a law bolstering security in France was adopted in May.
Bastille Day celebrations
July 14th is France's National Day, also known as Bastille Day.
The day commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison by angry crowds in 1789, helping kick off the French Revolution.
The Bastille prison, where opponents of the monarchy were kept, was targeted for symbolising royal rule.
About 3,000 men and women from France's army, navy and air force marched down the Champs Elysees in the oldest and largest military parade in Europe.
Krystal Johnson, Nicholas McCallum, with AFP
