Italy probes man who spoke to Nice attacker hours before massacre

A cell phone that belonged to the Bastille Day killer in Nice, France, Mohamed Labouaiej Bouhlel, reportedly contained messages, photographs and videos of his lovers, both men and women.

Bouhlel’s estranged wife Hajer Khalfallah was released yesterday after spending three days in custody.

Molins said officials have begun returning remains to the families, though 13 of the 84 who died have yet to be identified.

Driver Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel killed 84 people and injured 202 on Thursday.

Debbie Cook told reporters outside the Pasteur hospital Monday that her friend, 22-year-old Adelaide Stratton, suffered serious injuries but that “she is getting better every day”.

Witnesses to the attack described it as “like he [Bouhlel] was playing Pac-Man”.

The French prime minister was jeered by a large crowd as he attended a minute’s silence to remember victims of the attack in Nice. Visitors to the Promenade des Anglais have taken to spitting on the spot and cursing as they pass by to demonstrate their disgust for Bouhlel’s alleged actions.

The last pictures of Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel. Numerous dead and 308 injured were children.

French PM Manuel Valls, centre, was booed at the commemoration ceremony.

Bouhlel’s uncle Sadok Bouhlel claims his nephew was indoctrinated about two weeks ago by an Algerian member of IS in Nice.

Around 30 were Muslims, said an official from a regional representative body, and nearly half were foreigners.

The 69-year-old, from Msaken, Tunisia, said his nephew “stained the reputation of our town and our country”.

He defended government efforts to halt terror attacks, calling for “dignity and truth” from fiercely critical opposition politicians as the national mood soured further nine months ahead of a presidential election.

The French government has come under pressure for failing to thwart the third major attack on French soil in the past 18 months.

Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Valls was ready to take other proposals on board concerning the specific powers emergency rule would comprise to bolster the counter-terrorism efforts of the police and intelligence services.

Hollande said French fighter jets had intensified bombing of Islamic State bases in Syria and Iraq in recent days.

IS claimed responsibility for last week’s attack, though Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Monday that investigators have found no sign yet that Bouhlel had links to a particular network.

Mr Molins said Bouhlel had expressed support for Islamic State and researched the terror group online but there is no evidence he had any personal links with the organisation.

“But, the investigation will establish the facts”, he added.

Bouhlel is believed to have been radicalised recently, with former neighbours saying they were shocked by his actions. “The attack there may have more of an impact than the Paris attacks because people may now be thinking, ‘where can I go to relax and be safe?'” He said that the pattern of repeated attacks could eventually prompt people to change their behavior, if they fear the government is unable to protect them.