ISIS Claims Responsibility for Nice Attack

The Nice attack has highlighted concerns about radicalization in the south of France, a region with a high concentration of first-, second-, and third-generation North African immigrants.

Following the silence, for which thousands of people flocked to the Promenade des Anglais, there was applause and a rendition of the French national anthem as many of those singing defiantly raised their fists in the air.

This time, France was supposed to have been better prepared.

Nice: The Tunisian-born man who drove a truck through crowds celebrating Bastille Day had a promiscuous sex life, drank alcohol, took drugs and did not practise Islam, but did show an interest in the so-called Islamic State in the weeks leading up to his murderous rampage and grew a beard for “religious reasons”, the French prosecutor said.

Pradal, the mayor, noted that responsibility for security during the July 14 fireworks display lay primarily with the national authorities and that anti-terrorism procedures were followed.

Authorities have now detained seven people over the killings, claimed by Islamic State.

Bono was rescued from a restaurant by anti-terror police during the terror attack in Nice on Thursday.

A psychiatrist who treated him more than a decade ago told Reuters on Sunday that he had been aggressive towards his parents and had body image problems.

In an open letter published on the Nice Matin newspaper’s website, regional council President Christian Estrosi – a member of France’s opposition Republicans – described the country’s current leadership as “incapable”.

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

The driver of the truck was killed by police, officials said.

France is heading into elections next year, and the deeply unpopular French President Francois Hollande is facing challenges from within his party and from right-wing Republicans and the far-right National Front.

Explaining the anger towards Mr Valls, one French woman said people feel a stronger prime minister is needed as the country tries to defeat extremism.

Via his spokesman, Hollande said that in the face of “these attempts to divide the country… we should remember the unity and cohesion of the country around our values”. Bouhlel also had said that he could not understand why Islamic State was not able to have its own territory, the prosecutor said.

Walid Hamou said the man that mowed down 84 people on the Nice promenade was no jihadist – just a violent individual with a nasty streak and nothing left to lose… A local Russian association said there were about 10 victims from Russia. The solemnity was only punctured when a pair of plainclothes police officers tried to drive through the crowd, prompting angry shouts of “Shame!”

It said 1,400 security cameras were operating in the city. Both attacks were linked to IS.

Even if the motives remain unclear, critics fault the government for letting its guard down.

“We’d like to thank the staff caring for our daughter at Hospital Pasteur, along with the French emergency service personnel and the wonderful stranger who helped Adelaide on the night”.

She said this attack had crumbled her resolve to stand firm against terror. It also lets authorities ban any gathering deemed a security risk.

We now know that the driver deliberately rammed his truck into the crowds, zigzagging to maximize the number of casualties. “I was there (on Thursday) and didn’t see police”.

Forty-nine people were killed in last month’s Orlando massacre, after ISIS fanatic Omar Mateen – who is also reported to have had sexual relationships with gay men – gunned down revellers in a gay nightclub.