Truck Driver in Bastille Day Terror Attack Identified; Death Toll Rises to 84, Includes 2 Americans
French authorities have identified the terrorist who drove a truck through a crowded beach promenade on Thursday night as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, 31, from Tunisia, who had lived in France for four years. Bouhlel had been in legal trouble in France before, but not for anything terror-related. He was not on any known watchlists.
The total number of victims now stands at 84 dead, including 10 children, according to French prosecutor Francois Molins. An additional 202 were injured, 52 critically so, and 25 of those are currently on life support.
Two of the dead are Americans: Sean Copeland, 51, and his son Brodie, 11, from Texas. They were visiting France for a relative's birthday. Below is a picture of the two, posted to Facebook by Copeland's wife, Kim:
Another family member posted the following images to Twitter:
In it, she writes:
I don't even know how to put this in words. Today was a very tragic day for my family. My uncle Sean and my cousin Brodie Copland were killed today in a terrorist attack in Nice, France, while they were on vacation. A huge box truck ran over and killed 80-plus people and injured over 100. Please keep my family and all the other families affected by the tragic event that occurred tonight in your prayers. #PrayForNice #PrayersForFrance
Below a French man mourns at the site of the attack, the day after: