Terror in NiceAt least 84 killed, more than 200 injured, by a terrorist driving a truck into 14 July crowd

At least eighty-four people were killed Thursday when a 31-year old Tunisian plowed into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France. He accelerated, and continued to drive for about 1.5 miles, running over people who crowded the boulevard.

More than 200 were injured, some of them are in critical condition.

Police shot and killed the driver, Lahouaiej Bouhlel, who had a residency permit to live and work in France. 

Witnesses told reporters that the driver hit the crowd at high speed, swerving right and left to hit as many as possible. The truck eventually came to a stoop, and the driver climbed out of the cabin and shot more people dead.

The police found more guns, and about twenty hand-grenades, in the truck.

President Francois Hollande, after an emergency meeting of the security cabinet, announced several security measures, including the 3-months extension of France’s state of emergency, which was imposed after the November 215 terrorist attacks in Paris, and which is due to expire on 26 July.

“A horror has come down on France again,” he said, adding that “the terrorist character [of the attack] cannot be denied.”

The attack happened on the Promenade des Anglais at around 10:30 p.m. local time, just as the firework display has ended. The promenade has been closed to traffic to allow people to celebrate Bastille Day.

Hollande expressed solidarity with the victims, but defiantly said that France would continue its operations in Syria and Iraq.

“After Paris, Nice is now hit,” he said. “It is all of France which is under threat of Islamic terrorism.

“It is clear we need to do all we can to fight against terrorism,” he said. “France is strong, and France will always be stronger, I assure you.”