Foreign Affairs Forum

View Original

New attack to strike beautiful Nice

 

It had to be one festive and joyful evening. It has turned into a night of terror and blood.

In the city of Nice, in Southern France, fear returns after the attacks of last November: last night, at about 22.30, on the Promenade des Anglais, full of French, but also oftourists who were gathered outside to admire the fireworks display on National Day, a large and white truck, was launched at 80 km per hour, and for many meters, on the crowd that was walking away after the fireworks. During the mad zig-zag rush, made with the specific intent to invest as many people as possible, from the heavy vehicle a driver has exploded gunshots on to the people gathered to watch the show, their sound to be confused with the fireworks, and the shouts covered by the entertainment music. Some people, to save themselves, have thrown directly into the sea. Witnesses say some shots were fired by the police to stop the truck in his two-kilometer long mad dash, right in the moment when the sky was lit by fires to celebrate the Bastille Day.

A lightning attack, which was resolved in just over two minutes. It was a bloodbath: first data speak of 84 dead and about 100 injured, including some 54 children, hospitalized at the Lenval hospital. Among the victims is also a policeman who had tried to stop the truck by putting beside him with a scooter. Several weapons, guns and grenades were found inside the truck. The first hypothesis says that it was a premeditated terrorist attack, while the latest news announced that a second identity card was found on the truck, as a proof that he wouldn’t probably act alone. Moreover, witnesses have clearly noticed that the shots did not came from the driver's side.

The attacker, a French-Tunisian aged 31, living in Nice, was killed. The killer 's name was Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, born in Sousse. His name does not, so far, appear in any wanted-list for terrorism, as reported by a source in the Tunisian Ministry of the Interior. There are over 150,000 Tunisian living in nice. Bouhlel was once stopped by police over a tussle with another truck driver and asked to report to police station frequently, which he did. Its interesting to note lot of ammunition found in his truck were fake or some replicas. What was the purpose to have all that is the truck?

During the night, in gestures of spontaneous help, both locals and restaurants stayed open in helping and comforting the terrified tourists, while taxi drivers were suitable to accompany the wounded at local hospitals . " It is so far the most terrible experience ever perpetrated in Nice in its history, " said President of the Region, Christian Estrosi. The investigation was entrusted to the anti-terrorism prosecutor of Paris. The ISIS supporters cheered and jubilated, although at the moment are still no official claims by the Caliphate. The city, completely shocked by the massacre, has awakened with all accesses to the bathing establishments located along the Promenade dumbfounded. France will observe three days of national mourning.

Immediate reactions from international politics

President François Hollande, in a televised address few hours after the attack, stressed that "there is no denying that it appears to bean attack of a terrorist nature," saying that the country has been hit "on the day symbol of his freedom".

Pope Francis said he was in solidarity with the victims and with all the French people, and condemns "in the strongest terms all manifestations of murderous folly, hatred, terrorism and every attack against peace." US

President Barack Obama "in the name of the American people," condemned "in the strongest terms what appears to be a terrible terrorist attack", while Chancellor Angela Merkel has addressed words of comfort "to the French friends.

According to the European Council President Donald Tusk, it is "a tragic paradox" that dozens of people were killed as they celebrated "freedom, equality and fraternity".

The network took immediate action, where Twitter with the #PortesOuvertesNice ashtag is stormed to share news on the affected and reported missing persons.

Conclusion

Once again Europe, and particularly Nice, France, is crying again innocent victims in the name of an absurd war.

Article authored by Sonia Russo, info@soniarusso.it