Connect with us

News

France attacker menacing, volatile; jihadist ties a question

Published

on

NICE, France—The rogue driver who turned a night of fireworks and fun into the worst carnage the French resort city of Nice has seen in decades appeared aloof and menacing to his neighbours and family, while authorities said Saturday that he had recently turned to religious extremism.

The Islamic State group claimed Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel as one of its “soldiers” on Saturday, but what little is known so far about the 31—year—old Tunisian suggests a troubled, unpleasant person who showed little outward interest in Islam.

Bouhlel was born in Msaken, a town in Tunisia, but moved to France years ago and was living in the country legally, working as a delivery driver. At one point he married, and later moved to an apartment bloc in the Quartier des Abattoirs—the Slaughterhouse District—on the outskirts of Nice.

Neighbours described the father of three as a volatile man, prone to drinking and womanizing, who was in the process of getting a divorce.

“I saw him four times a day,” said Jasmine Corman, who has lived in Bouhlel’s pale yellow apartment building for six months. “He wasn’t very nice. … He was handsome, but his face was miserable.”

Back in Tunisia, Bouhlel’s father said his son was prone to violent episodes during which “he broke everything he found around him.”

“Each time he had a crisis, we took him to the doctor, who gave him medication,” Mohamed Mondher Lahouaiej Bouhlel told BFM television, even showing journalists what he said was a document about his son’s psychiatric treatment.

Bouhlel said his son hadn’t visited Tunisia in four years and hadn’t stayed in contact with his family.

“What I know is that he didn’t pray, he didn’t go to the mosque, he had no ties to religion,” said the father, noting that Bouhlel didn’t respect the Islamic fasting rituals during the month of Ramadan—an account seconded by neighbours in Nice.

Bouhlel had had a series of run—ins with the law in France for threatening behaviour, violence and theft over the past six years. In March, he was given a six—month suspended sentence by a Nice court for a road—rage incident in which he attacked another driver with a wooden pallet.

His court—appointed lawyer, Corentin Delobel, said he observed “no radicalization whatsoever” of Bouhlel and Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Bouhlel was never placed on a watch list for radicals.

But hints of a sudden turn to religious extremism began to emerge Saturday. After the Islamic State group claimed Bouhlel as one of their own, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said told reporters the driver had been “radicalized very quickly,” citing information from the five people taken into custody following the attack.

The chronology of Bouhlel’s last night is still being pieced together.

Records show the 19 metric ton (21 U.S. ton) truck that he rammed through the seaside crowd in Nice was rented in the outskirts of the city on July 11 and was overdue on Thursday, the night of the attack.

About 25 minutes before the July 14 fireworks show—which commemorated Bastille Day, France’s national holiday—Bouhlel drove toward the city centre. Shortly after 10:30 p.m., he reached the Promenade des Anglais, driving up on the sidewalk to avoid the police cars blocking the road. He then took aim at the thousands who had gathered to watch the fireworks show, killing at least 84 people and wounding over 200.

Witnesses described seeing Bouhlel purposely steer the truck to hit families as they tried to flee.

“It was such a nice atmosphere before this started,” recalled Sanchia Lambert, a tourist from Sweden who had come to visit family in Nice. “There were people playing drums, kids riding their bikes. That makes what happened all the worse.”

Her husband, John Lambert, said the couple was almost struck by Bouhlel’s truck.

“I saw his face,” Lambert told The Associated Press. “He was totally focused.”

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest

News7 hours ago

Why Vladimir Putin seems stronger now than he was a year ago

Vladmir Putin appears far stronger now than he did at any other time since Russia launched a full-scale invasion into...

News7 hours ago

Rishi Sunak fires election starting gun with a damp whimper – but Labour will want to play down talk of a landslide

“It’s the optics that matter” is a modern cliche of political life. It doesn’t matter what you say so much...

News8 hours ago

Kenyan president will receive White House praise over troops-to-Haiti move − but lack of action across Americas should prompt regional soul-searching

  Kenyan President William Ruto will attend a rare U.S. state reception for an African leader on May 23, 2024...

Health8 hours ago

Heat waves can be deadly for older adults: An aging global population and rising temperatures mean millions are at risk

A deadly heat wave gripped large regions of Asia for weeks in April and May 2024. As temperatures climbed past...

Canada News8 hours ago

Why the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion is a bad deal for Canadians — and the world

Earlier this month the Trans Mountain expansion project (TMX) — the heavy oil pipeline connecting Edmonton, Alta. and Burnaby, B.C....

Canada News8 hours ago

Thinking about polyamory? You’re not the only one

Polyamory — being open to having more than one romantic partner at the same time, with everyone’s knowledge and consent...

Canada News9 hours ago

The growing burden of sustainability standards

Countries in the Global North have been trying to come up with solutions to address the pressing issues of human...

News9 hours ago

CBCP: Pro-divorce lawmakers tarnished sanctity of family, marriage

MANILA – Lawmakers in the House of Representatives who voted in favor of the Absolute Divorce Bill have betrayed their...

News10 hours ago

Comelec: Preventive suspension won’t bar Guo from seeking reelection

MANILA – Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo can seek reelection in next year’s midterm polls despite a looming preventive suspension...

News10 hours ago

Marcos thanks Djibouti for aiding seafarers affected by Houthi attack

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. expressed appreciation to the government of Djibouti for helping Filipino seafarers affected by...

WordPress Ads