At least 77 people were killed tonight in Nice, France, and many more injured when a large truck drove into a crowd of pedestrians along the Promenade des Anglais, reportedly sending bodies flying for a considerable distance (reportedly more than a mile, is that possible?). The driver finally jumped out of the truck, fired into the crowd and exchanged fire with police officers. He was killed by police at the scene but has not been identified. [UPDATE: He is reported to be of Tunisian origin.] There are reports of a passenger in the truck who escaped, but they are unconfirmed and may turn out to be false.
ISIS reportedly has claimed responsibility for the attack, but again, that may or may not turn out to be true. The mass murder is being treated by the French government as an act of terrorism, and the assumption is that it was carried out by a Muslim or group of Muslims, but that too is unknown (publicly, at least) at this point.
Driving vehicles into crowds is a favorite mode of attack by Palestinians in Israel, but they have never achieved anything like the death total in Nice. It is Bastille Day in France, and a large crowd had gathered to watch fireworks over the Mediterranean.
The video below is actually several different clips, some with sound and some without, that show the aftermath of the attack:
The Daily Mail, as usual, has photos:
It will be interesting to see how the French government responds to this attack. Here in the U.S., President Obama would most likely call for a ban on assault rifles.
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