French Terror Suspect Named As Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, A "Well-Known" Tunisian Criminal
Now that the initial shock of the Nice Bastille Day terror attack which claimed at least 84 lives has passed, and the investigation into the causes and motives behind the latest tragic mass killing has begun. Earlier this morning it was revealed that the driver of the truck used to attack Bastille Day celebrations in Nice has been named in local reports as 31-year-old delivery driver Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a Tunisian criminal, who is reported to be a French passport holder, and well-known to the police.
According to newspaper Nice-Matin, quoted by the Telegraph, the identity of the driver of the truck that drove into the crowds Tuesday night has been confirmed. It is the owner of the identity card that was found in the truck by police. He is from Nice and is of Tunisian origin, aged 31, called Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel. Police raided his apartment in the Nice Nord district this morning. He works as a delivery driver and is known for criminal acts, including violence, but any radicalisation has gone unnoticed. His act seems yet to have been premeditated.
"He was known to the police for violence, and using weapons, but had no direct links with terrorism," said an investigating source. "His identity car was found in the lorry. He had French and Tunisian nationality."
As the Telegraph adds, he was described as a "loner with a motorbike" by neighbours as police searched his one bedroom apartment in a rundown district of Nice, reports Tom Morgan. One resident in the small apartment block where Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel is thought to have plotted his attack said: "He was quiet and moody. I did not know whether he was a Muslim. I think he had a motorbike."
Police sealed off a flat of La Route de Turin and ordered The Telegraph to step away from the scene. Bouhlel, 31, is believed to have been living in a rented property overlooking a small carpark.
Police investigating the attacker's background raided a first floor flat in a shabby apartment block in the Abattoirs area of Nice. A woman living in the same block said: 'I hardly knew him, but from what I could see he seemed very weird. He lived alone. He said very little to anyone and wasn’t very polite. He wouldn’t hold the door open for you.'
The name of the flat occupant appears on the ground floor letterbox grid as Lahouaiej Bouhlel, though this name has not yet been officially confirmed as that of the 31 year old French-Tunisian attacker. A schoolboy who also lives in the block of flats said he was alerted to the start of the raid at about 9.30am local time when armed police set up positions in front of the building and behind.
Two-and-a-half hours later there was still a strong police presence in the area and searches were understood to be continuing.
He may have hired the truck on on Wednesday in a neighboring town of Nice. The investigators are still is looking for possible accomplices.
The driver reportedly zig-zagged his way through the crowds along the promenade in Nice
The attacker was not known to the intelligence services, suggesting he has not previous background in terrorism offences. The fact he was not on the watch list will be of grave concern as an investigation into last year’s Paris attacks identified multiple failings by France’s intelligence agencies.
Bouhlel is believed to have been a resident of Nice. A search of his vehicle uncovered a pistol, a larger gun, and a number of fake weapons and grenades.
He boarded the truck "in the hills of Nice" before driving down to the promenade, according to CCTV footage, regional president Christian Estrosi said on Friday.
So far there have been no claims of responsibility for the attack, which is being considered an act of terrorism. Security officials will certainly be looking to see if it was carried out by ISIS. Pro-ISIS Twitter accounts have posted sickening posters celebrating the attacks.
France has been in a state of high alert following a number of terror attacks claimed by ISIS on Paris and other French cities over the past year.
There have also been no claims of accomplices, but Mr Estrosi said the investigation should focus on finding anyone the man worked with. "Attacks aren't prepared alone. Attacks are prepared with accomplices," Mr Estrosi said. "There is a chain of complicity. I expect it to be unveiled, discovered and kept up to date."
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said authorities are working to identify the terrorist - and determine whether or not he had help. He told reporters: “I’d like to say a word about the investigation, not to reveal any details but to say that we are fighting this with all the means the state has to identify the suspect. The identification process is ongoing.
Speaking hours after the attack, Cazeneuve added: "We are in a war with terrorists who want to hurt us at all costs."
“We will firstly determine if he had help from accomplices or not. And this information is to be shared by the public prosecutor according to what will be verified for sure, to prevent rumours or false information to be carried out."
A police source has told AFP that the truck "changed route at least once" as it ploughed through crowds. "He clearly sought to make maximum casualties" the source added.
Wassim Bouhel told the French TV channel iTele that the lorry zigzagged across the road.
He said: “We almost died. It was like hallucinating ... (the lorry) zigzagged - you had no idea where it was going."
It has also been revealed that the truck was a rented vehicle. The police source told AFP that it was rented "a few days ago" in the South East of France. "The truck was rented in the last few days in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur," the source said.
