7 people in custody in connection to France terror attack

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack, though people close to him noted no signs of radicalism, just anger.

The movie is a joint American, French and British production and tells the story of a young French woman who is preparing an attack on the eve of the Bastille Day, and a Central Intelligence Agency agent played by Idris Elba who is sent to Paris to stop her. The truck attack that night on a crowd of revellers in Nice, southeast France, inevitably shifted the political focus back to security. “He was killed by police”, said interior ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet. The officers backed away after a brief standoff.

Similar gatherings were held across the country, with the minute’s silence accompanied by the ringing of church bells.

Cazeneuve tried to defend his police force’s record, but his words rang hollow. Many are also angry at French police and authorities for not preventing the deadly attack, even though France was under a state of emergency imposed after Islamic State attacks previous year in Paris.

If confirmed as a terror attack, it would be the third major strike against France in less than 18 months and prosecutors said anti-terrorist investigators would handle the probe.

Police said Saturday they had arrested four more people linked to Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, in addition to his estranged wife who was taken into custody on Friday.

The 31-year-old was born in Msaken, a town in Tunisia, but moved to France years ago and was living in the country legally.

Yet within 48 hours of the attack, the Islamic State group claimed him as one of its foot soldiers, suggesting that volatile people such as Behloul may be prone to rapid radicalization, thereby posing a hard to calculate risk for authorities.

Rebab, Bouhlel’s sister, said her brother had not been in the habit of calling the family.

Bouhlel’s father insisted in comments made to AFP that his son was not religious: “He didn’t pray, he drank alcohol and even took drugs”.

But in a statement to reporters, Cazeneuve hinted that Bouhlel may have had a last-minute adoption of a more extremist worldview.

At least two of the three people detained Sunday are suspected of helping Bouhlel obtain the pistol found in the truck, the official said.

“We need to exorcise our demons, to talk about it, to gather together”, said Philippe Gambino, who has visited the Promenade des Anglais every day since the attack, where candles and flowers form a makeshift memorial.

Yet the suffering is far from over.

The French health minister said this morning 85 people are still in hospital after the horrific attack, 18 of those are in life-threatening conditions. The grandson, one of the dead, was a high school teacher at Lycee de Recollets.

The reports say Lahouaiej-Bouhlel drove through the seafront promenade area of the French city on Tuesday and Wednesday in preparation. Still, the message was heard, prompting the security announcement later from Cazeneuve. Highlighting the “serious deficiencies” in protecting French citizens, National Front leader Marine Le Pen demanded that Cazeneuve resign.