A truck drove into a crowd at Bastille Day ceremonies late Thursday in Nice, France, killing dozens of people, Regional President Christian Estrosi tweeted. French President Francois Hollande has called it an act of terror.
AFP: Death toll rises to 84
Citing France’s interior ministry, Agence France-Presse reports that the death toll from the attack in Nice has risen to 84. Earlier reports said at least 77 people died in the attack, which took place during Bastille Day celebrations.
Hollande to travel to Nice
French President Francois Hollande will travel to Nice on Friday following a meeting of the country’s Security and Defense Council.
“Together with the Prime Minister, I will got to Nice … to support the city and its elected members in this hardship,” he said.
France to extend state of emergency
French President Francois Hollande said the country’s state of emergency which was set to end on July 26th will be extended by three months after the attack in Nice.
A bill will be put forward in Parliament next week, Hollande said.
Trucks as a tool of terror
The use of vehicles in terror attacks has a long history, writes CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen.
Al Qaeda’s Yemeni branch encouraged its recruits in the West in its 2010 webzine, Inspire, to use cars as a weapon. An article headlined “The Ultimate Mowing Machine” called for deploying a pickup truck as a “mowing machine, not to mow grass but mow down the enemies of Allah.”
In September 2014, an ISIS spokesman similarly encouraged such attacks, saying of ISIS’ enemies, “run him over with your car.”