Horrifying footage shows moment truck ploughs into screaming Bastille Day crow.
A French-Tunisian criminal well known to the police for armed attacks used a hired lorry to kill at least 84 people in a terrorist attack during Bastille Day celebrations in Nice, it has emerged.
At least 10 children are among the dead in the Riviera city following a "cowardly and barbaric" atrocity believed to have been carried out by a 31-year-old attacker, who left at least one British national among the injured. Officials fear the death toll will rise.
As hundreds remained in hospital - including 18 fighting for their lives in intensive care - anti-terrorist judges opened an investigation into "mass murder" and investigators searched the home of the driver in the Abattoirs area of Nice.
Sources close to the inquiry said the perpetrator was a local 31-year-old career criminal who was born in Tunisia before moving to France.
His 19-tonne lorry had zigzagged through crowds massing on the Promenade des Anglais on Thursday night, killing anyone he could.
After being stopped by armed police, who fired bullets into the lorry’s windscreen, the so far unnamed man exchanged fire with officers using a 7.65 pistol, before being shot dead.
"He was known to the police for violence, and using weapons, but had no direct links with terrorism," said an investigating source. "His identity card was found in the lorry. He had the French and Tunisian nationality."
A search of the vehicle uncovered a pistol, a larger gun, and a number of fake weapons and grenades.
The fact that the killer was known to the authorities will be of grave concern to those trying to prevent terrorist attacks in France.
A recent Paris parliamentary investigation into last year’s attacks identified multiple failings by France’s intelligence agencies.
As the United Nations issued a statement calling the latest "cowardly and barbaric", French Prime Minister Manuel Valls tweeted: "The city of Nice has been hit by terrorism on the day of our national holiday. Immense pain, the country is in mourning. The French will face it."
President Francois Hollande meanwhile spoke of a "monstrosity" and said soldiers would be deployed to support gendarmes and police, particularly at the country’s borders.
A State of Emergency imposed last year after almost 150 people was killed during attacks on Paris would be extended to July 26, Mr Hollande added.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said: "We are at war with terrorists who want to strike us at any cost and who are extremely violent."
Tony Molina, an American witness to the attack, told CNN: "There was still a crowd of people and then you just see this big white panel truck, I couldn’t see the driver, but it just kept going at different angles from left to right at 25 to 30 miles and hour.
"People were screaming and running. I work in homicide and I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s unbelievable."
The Promenade Anglais was packed on what is traditionally the biggest public holiday in France when the man struck soon after 10.30pm local time (21:30 BST)
The white lorry mounted the pavement repeatedly at approximately 40mph and steered directly towards men, women, and children, some of whom were still dressed for the beach.
"People went down like ninepins," a man who runs Le Queenie restaurant on the seafront told France Info radio.
Locals were advised to stay indoors as soldiers and anti-terrorist police flooded the area.
British holidaymaker Esther Serwah, 59, was staying in a hotel a short walk from the scene.
She said she had been on her way to the Promenade des Anglais for dinner with her daughters when people started screaming at her.
Mrs. Serwah, from Surrey, said: "I was just walking to the Promenade and then I saw everybody running and I just didn’t know what was going on. People were screaming at me in French but I didn’t understand.
"Some people were lying on the streets dead and people were running over the bodies. Everybody was saying it’s a terrorist attack. It’s just horrible, horrible, horrible. I’m in shock. I’m still shaking."
- Terrorist drives through crowds celebrating Bastille Day in Nice.
- Lorry speeds for 2km, killing 84 people - including 10 children.
- Witnesses say driver zigzagged to kill as many victims as possible.
- He produced gun before being shot dead by police on the seafront.
- Driver 31-year-old from Nice of Tunisian origin known to police.
A French-Tunisian criminal well known to the police for armed attacks used a hired lorry to kill at least 84 people in a terrorist attack during Bastille Day celebrations in Nice, it has emerged.
At least 10 children are among the dead in the Riviera city following a "cowardly and barbaric" atrocity believed to have been carried out by a 31-year-old attacker, who left at least one British national among the injured. Officials fear the death toll will rise.
As hundreds remained in hospital - including 18 fighting for their lives in intensive care - anti-terrorist judges opened an investigation into "mass murder" and investigators searched the home of the driver in the Abattoirs area of Nice.
Sources close to the inquiry said the perpetrator was a local 31-year-old career criminal who was born in Tunisia before moving to France.
His 19-tonne lorry had zigzagged through crowds massing on the Promenade des Anglais on Thursday night, killing anyone he could.
After being stopped by armed police, who fired bullets into the lorry’s windscreen, the so far unnamed man exchanged fire with officers using a 7.65 pistol, before being shot dead.
"He was known to the police for violence, and using weapons, but had no direct links with terrorism," said an investigating source. "His identity card was found in the lorry. He had the French and Tunisian nationality."
A search of the vehicle uncovered a pistol, a larger gun, and a number of fake weapons and grenades.
The fact that the killer was known to the authorities will be of grave concern to those trying to prevent terrorist attacks in France.
A recent Paris parliamentary investigation into last year’s attacks identified multiple failings by France’s intelligence agencies.
As the United Nations issued a statement calling the latest "cowardly and barbaric", French Prime Minister Manuel Valls tweeted: "The city of Nice has been hit by terrorism on the day of our national holiday. Immense pain, the country is in mourning. The French will face it."
President Francois Hollande meanwhile spoke of a "monstrosity" and said soldiers would be deployed to support gendarmes and police, particularly at the country’s borders.
A State of Emergency imposed last year after almost 150 people was killed during attacks on Paris would be extended to July 26, Mr Hollande added.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said: "We are at war with terrorists who want to strike us at any cost and who are extremely violent."
Tony Molina, an American witness to the attack, told CNN: "There was still a crowd of people and then you just see this big white panel truck, I couldn’t see the driver, but it just kept going at different angles from left to right at 25 to 30 miles and hour.
"People were screaming and running. I work in homicide and I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s unbelievable."
The Promenade Anglais was packed on what is traditionally the biggest public holiday in France when the man struck soon after 10.30pm local time (21:30 BST)
The white lorry mounted the pavement repeatedly at approximately 40mph and steered directly towards men, women, and children, some of whom were still dressed for the beach.
"People went down like ninepins," a man who runs Le Queenie restaurant on the seafront told France Info radio.
Locals were advised to stay indoors as soldiers and anti-terrorist police flooded the area.
British holidaymaker Esther Serwah, 59, was staying in a hotel a short walk from the scene.
She said she had been on her way to the Promenade des Anglais for dinner with her daughters when people started screaming at her.
Mrs. Serwah, from Surrey, said: "I was just walking to the Promenade and then I saw everybody running and I just didn’t know what was going on. People were screaming at me in French but I didn’t understand.
"Some people were lying on the streets dead and people were running over the bodies. Everybody was saying it’s a terrorist attack. It’s just horrible, horrible, horrible. I’m in shock. I’m still shaking."