《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 France extends state of emergency after attack

‘TERRORIST NATURE’: A 31-year-old Tunisian drove a heavy truck through crowds in Nice, killing at least 84 people, in what has been described as a terrorist attack

/ Reuters, NICE, France

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An attacker at the wheel of a heavy truck on Thursday plowed into crowds celebrating Bastille Day in the French city of Nice, killing at least 84 people and injuring scores more in what French President Francois Hollande called a terrorist act.

The driver, identified by police sources as a 31-year-old Tunisian-born Frenchman, also appeared to open fire before officers shot him dead. The man, named as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, was not on the watch list of French intelligence services, but was known to police in connection with common crimes such as theft and violence, the sources said.

French Minister of the Interior Bernard Cazeneuve said 18 people were in a critical condition after the attack on Thursday night, when the white truck zigzagged along the seafront Promenade des Anglais as a fireworks display marking the French national day ended just after 10:30pm.

According to one city official, the rented truck careered on for up to 2km.

The attack appeared to be the work of a lone assailant.

Hollande said in a pre-dawn address that he was calling up military and police reservists to relieve forces worn out by enforcing a state of emergency that started in November last year after gunmen and suicide bombers linked to the Islamic State struck Paris entertainment spots, killing 130 people.

Only hours earlier, Hollande had announced the emergency would be lifted by the end of this month. Following the attack, he said it would be extended by a further three months.

“France is filled with sadness by this new tragedy,” Hollande said. “There’s no denying the terrorist nature of this attack.”

Major events in France have been guarded by troops and armed police since the Nov. 13 attacks. However, it appeared to have taken many minutes to halt the progress of the truck as it tore along pavements and a pedestrian zone.

A local government official said weapons and grenades were found inside the vehicle, which was made by Renault Trucks.

The newspaper Nice-Matin said on Twitter that police were searching the attacker’s home in the Nice neighbourhood of Abattoirs. It gave no source of the information.

After the Paris attacks, the Islamic State said France and all nations following its path would remain at the top of its list of targets as long as they continued “their crusader campaign,” referring to action against the group in Iraq and Syria.

France is conducting airstrikes and special forces operations against the Islamic State, as well as training Iraqi government and Kurdish forces.

“We will further strengthen our actions in Syria and Iraq,” Hollande said, calling the tragedy — on the day France marks the 1789 revolutionary storming of the Bastille prison in Paris — an attack on liberty by fanatics who despised human rights.

Dawn broke yesterday with pavements smeared with dried blood. Smashed children’s strollers, an uneaten baguette and other debris were strewn about the promenade. Small areas were screened off and what appeared to be bodies covered in blankets were visible through the gaps.

The truck was still where it came to rest, its windscreen riddled with bullet holes.

There had been no claim of responsibility as of yesterday.

President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） yesterday said that Taiwan stands “side by side” with the people of France following the apparent terrorist attack.

“It is saddening that a terrorist attack occurred in Nice on Bastille Day — a symbol of freedom — and caused numerous casualties,” Tsai wrote on Facebook.

“I would like to extend my condolences and sympathy to the families of the deceased and the injured,” she said. “May those who lost their lives rest in peace and those who were injured recover soon.”

Earlier in the day, Tsai expressed her condemnation of the attack and conveyed her message of condolences through Benoit Guidee, director of the French Office in Taipei, according to Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang （黃重諺）.

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it has extended its sympathy to the French mission and urged Taiwanese in France to pay greater attention to personal safety following the attack.

The ministry added that it has asked Taiwan’s representative office in France to form a task force to find out if there were any Taiwanese affected by the attack and to stay in close contact with French authorities to closely monitor the situation.

Those who are in Nice or plan to visit the city should stay on high alert and avoid taking the subway and going to crowded places such as shopping malls, the ministry said.

Additional reporting by staff writer, With CNA

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES