Islamic State group claims Nice attacker as a ‘soldier’
NICE, France — The Islamic State group claimed Saturday that the Tunisian man who barreled his truck into a crowd in the French resort city of Nice was a “soldier” of the group. It’s the first claim of responsibility for an attack that claimed 84 lives at a July 14 fireworks display for France’s national holiday.
The claim — circulated on social media by a news outlet affiliated with the group — didn’t name Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, the 31-year-old Tunisian who authorities say was behind the wheel as a truck crashed into revelers Thursday night. But the statement quoting an IS security member said the man was following calls from the group to target citizens of countries fighting it.
The veracity of the group’s claim couldn’t immediately be determined, but French officials didn’t dispute it.
What is known publicly about Bouhlel so far suggests a troubled, angry man with little interest in the group’s ultra-puritanical brand of Islam. But, in a statement to reporters, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve hinted that Bouhlel may have had a last-minute adoption of a more extremist worldview.
“It seems he was radicalized very quickly,” Cazeneuve said following a ministerial meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris.
It’s also unclear whether or not Bouhlel, who was shot dead by police that night, had been acting alone.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said Saturday that five people are in custody following the attack. The identities of most of those taken into custody were not clear. But neighbors in the Nice neighborhood where the Bouhlel used to live told The Associated Press that his estranged wife had been taken away Friday by police.
The claim of responsibility came as French security chiefs met in Paris and as Nice’s seaside boulevard, the famous Promenade des Anglais, was slowly coming back to life. A makeshift memorial of bouquets, candles and messages had been set up near one end of the expansive avenue.
Officials said that 202 people had been wounded in the attack, with 25 of them on life support late Friday.
France on Saturday began three days of national mourning in homage to the victims — although that hasn’t stopped politicians from sniping at each other over who bore responsibility for the failing to stop the attack.
In an open letter published on the Nice Matin newspaper’s website, regional council President Christian Estrosi — a member of France’s opposition Republicans — described the country’s current Socialist leadership as “incapable.” He said he had requested that the police presence be reinforced in Nice ahead of the fireworks display but was told there was no need.
Cazeneuve, speaking at the Elysee, disagreed, saying that high security had been assured in the region — including at the Cannes Film Festival and the Nice Carnival. Government spokesman Stephane Le Foll warned against attempts to divide the country, calling for “unity and cohesion.”
France is heading into elections next year, and the deeply unpopular President Francois Hollande is facing multiple challengers, from within his own Socialist Party, from the right-wing Republicans and from the far-right National Front.
Floral and papers tributes are laid with a French flag near the scene of a truck attack in Nice, southern France, Saturday, July 16, 2016. Nice’s seaside boulevard reopens to traffic Saturday following a dramatic truck attack which killed more than 80 people and wounded more than 200 others at a fireworks display. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A white pigeon fliers over the beach near the scene of a truck attack in Nice, southern France, Saturday, July 16, 2016. Nice’s seaside boulevard reopens to traffic Saturday following a dramatic truck attack which killed more than 80 people and wounded more than 200 others at a fireworks display. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
People stroll on the Promenade des Anglais with the French flag at half mast, near the scene of a truck attack in Nice, southern France, Saturday, July 16, 2016. The man responsible for turning a night of celebration into one of carnage in the seaside city of Nice was a petty criminal who hadn’t been on the radar of French intelligence services before the attack. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
A soft toy sits with flowers and paper tributes near the scene of a truck attack in Nice, southern France, Saturday, July 16, 2016. The man responsible for turning a night of celebration into one of carnage in the seaside city of Nice was a petty criminal who hadn’t been on the radar of French intelligence services before the attack. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
Police officers work near the truck that mowed through revelers in Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. A large truck mowed through revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, killing more than 80 people and sending people fleeing into the sea as it bore down for more than a mile along the Riviera city’s famed waterfront promenade. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
A young woman wipes her face as people honor victims of the Bastille Day attack with a moment of silence during a vigil, in Sydney, Australia, Friday, July 15, 2016. World leaders are expressing dismay, sadness and solidarity with France over the attack carried out by a man who drove truck into crowds of people celebrating France’s national day in Nice. AP Photo/Rob Griffith)
A shoe lays on the pavement at the scene of an attack after a truck plowed through a crowd in Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. A large truck plowed through revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, killing more than 80 people and sending others fleeing into the sea as it bore down for more than a mile along the Riviera city’s famed waterfront promenade. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Flowers are placed at the scene of an attack after a truck plowed through a crowd in Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. A large truck plowed through revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, killing more than 80 people and sending others fleeing into the sea as it bore down for more than a mile along the Riviera city’s famed waterfront promenade. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A police officer gestures near the scene of an attack after a truck plowed through a crowd in Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. A large truck plowed through revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, killing more than 80 people and sending others fleeing into the sea as it bore down for more than a mile along the Riviera city’s famed waterfront promenade. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
French President Francois Hollande, center, with Prime Minister Manuel Valls, left, and Minister of Health Marisol Touraine delivers a speech the day after the Bastille Day truck attack, in Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. A Frenchman of Tunisian descent drove a truck through crowds celebrating Bastille Day along NiceÂ’s beachfront, killing more than 80 people, many of them children. (Eric Gaillard/Pool via AP)
A Police car is parked near the scene of an attack after a truck drove on to the sidewalk and plowed through a crowd of revelers who’d gathered to watch the fireworks in the French resort city of Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. A spokesman for France’s Interior Ministry says there are likely to be “several dozen dead” after a truck drove into a crowd of revelers celebrating Bastille Day in the French city of Nice. (AP Photo/Christian Alminana)
A woman puts flowers near the scene where a truck mowed through revelers in Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. A large truck mowed through revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, killing more than 80 people and sending people fleeing into the sea as it bore down for more than a mile along the Riviera city’s famed waterfront promenade. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
Flowers are pictured near the scene where a truck mowed through revelers in Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. A large truck mowed through revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, killing more than 80 people and sending people fleeing into the sea as it bore down for more than a mile along the Riviera city’s famed waterfront promenade. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
A man holding the French national flag stands near the site of the truck attack in the French resort city of Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. France has been stunned again after a large white truck killed many people after it mowed through a crowd of revellers gathered for a Bastille Day fireworks display in the Riviera city of Nice. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
View of the famed Promenade des Anglais, scene of the truck attack, in Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. A large truck mowed through revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, killing more than 80 people and sending people fleeing into the sea as it bore down for more than a mile along the Riviera city’s famed waterfront promenade. (AP Photo/Christian Alminana)
Soldiers do a sweep seen through the closed entrance to Nice airport in France after it was evacuated on Friday July 15, 2016. No reason was given for the evacuation, although security has been heightened since Thursday nights fatal truck attack. (AP Photo/Helena Alves)
A view onto the closed entrance to Nice airport in France after it was evacuated on Friday July 15, 2016. No reason was given for the evacuation, although security has been heightened since Thursday nights fatal truck attack. (AP Photo/Helena Alves)
Police stand by as medical personnel attend a person on the ground, right, in the early hours of Friday, July 14, 2016, on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, southern France, next to the lorry that had been driven into crowds of revelers late Thursday. France has been stunned again as a large white truck killed many people after it mowed through a crowd of revelers gathered for a Bastille Day fireworks display late Thursday evening, in the Riviera city of Nice. (AP Photo)
A body is covered in the early hours of Friday, July 15, 2016, on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, southern France. France has been stunned again as a large white truck killed many people after it mowed through a crowd of revelers gathered for a Bastille Day fireworks display late Thursday evening, in the Riviera city of Nice. (AP Photo)
Floral tributes are laid out near the site of the truck attack in the French resort city of Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. France has been stunned again after a large white truck killed many people after it mowed through a crowd of revellers gathered for a Bastille Day fireworks display in the Riviera city of Nice. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Bicycles, a shoe and sheets lay at the scene where a truck mowed through revelers in Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. A large truck mowed through revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, killing more than 80 people and sending people fleeing into the sea as it bore down for more than a mile along the Riviera city’s famed waterfront promenade. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
Floral tributes are laid out near the site of the truck attack in the French resort city of Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. France has been stunned again after a large white truck killed many people after it mowed through a crowd of revellers gathered for a Bastille Day fireworks display in the Riviera city of Nice. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
French Republican guards of the Elysee presidential Palace set French flag at half mast at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, Friday, July 15, 2016. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the government is declaring three days of national mourning after the attack. A French resident of Tunisian descent drove a truck through night-time crowds celebrating Bastille Day along NiceÂ’s beachfront, killing more than 80 people. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
Forensic officials work on the beach next to the famed Promenade des Anglais, scene of the truck attack, in Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. A large truck mowed through revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, killing dozens of people and sending people fleeing into the sea as it bore down for more than a mile along the Riviera city’s famed waterfront promenade. (AP Photo/Sinan Baykent)
Two military boats sail in front of the scene of an attack after a truck plowed through a crowd in Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. A large truck plowed through revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, killing more than 80 people and sending others fleeing into the sea as it bore down for more than a mile along the Riviera city’s famed waterfront promenade. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
French gendarmes prevent people to enter the scene where a truck mowed through revelers in Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. A large truck mowed through revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, killing more than 80 people and sending people fleeing into the sea as it bore down for more than a mile along the Riviera city’s famed waterfront promenade. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
Items or belongings lay on the pavement after a truck mowed through revelers in Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. A large truck mowed through revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, killing more than 80 people and sending people fleeing into the sea as it bore down for more than a mile along the Riviera city’s famed waterfront promenade. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
The truck, left, that mowed through revelers is pictured in Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. A large truck mowed through revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, killing more than 80 people and sending people fleeing into the sea as it bore down for more than a mile along the Riviera city’s famed waterfront promenade. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
A police officer walks under the cordon at the scene after a truck attack in Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. A large truck mowed through revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, killing more than 80 people and sending people fleeing into the sea as it bore down for more than a mile along the Riviera city’s famed waterfront promenade. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
Bodies of victims covered by sheets at the scene of a truck attack in Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. A large truck mowed through revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, killing more than 80 people and sending people fleeing into the sea as it bore down for more than a mile along the Riviera city’s famed waterfront promenade. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Emergency services vehicles work on the scene after a truck, left, plowed through Bastille Day revelers in the French resort city of Nice, France, Thursday, July 14, 2016. France was ravaged by its third attack in two years when a large white truck mowed through revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, killing at dozens of people as it bore down on the crowd for more than a mile along the Riviera city’s famed seaside promenade. (Sasha Goldsmith via AP)
Parents of victims embrace each other near the scene of a truck attack in Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. A large truck mowed through revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, killing more than 80 people and sending people fleeing into the sea as it bore down for more than a mile along the Riviera city’s famed waterfront promenade. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A man runs near the scene of an attack after a truck drove onto the sidewalk and plowed through a crowd of revelers who’d gathered to watch the fireworks in the French resort city of Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A woman cries asking for her son as she walk near the scene of an attack after a truck drove onto the sidewalk and plowed through a crowd of revelers who’d gathered to watch the fireworks in the French resort city of Nice, southern France, Friday, July 15, 2016.(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Riot olice officers and gendarmes are pictured outside the Pasteur Hospital in Nice, southern France, Friday July 15, 2016. A large truck plowed through revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, killing more than 80 people and sending others fleeing into the sea as it bore down for more than a mile along the Riviera city’s famed waterfront promenade. (AP Photo/Claude Paris)
Forensic police officers work at the truck that plowed into the crowd in Nice, southern France, Friday July 15, 2016. A large truck plowed through revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, killing more than 80 people and sending others fleeing into the sea as it bore down for more than a mile along the Riviera city’s famed waterfront promenade. (AP Photo/Claude Paris)
Turkish police special forces officers and members of the media stand and sit across from the French consulate in central Istanbul’s Istiklal Avenue, the main shopping road of Istanbul, Friday, July 15, 2016. Security forces continue to patrol the area around the French consulate in Istanbul Friday a day after an attack in the French resort town of Nice. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
