[Senator Clay Davis]

A truck rammed into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the French Riviera city of Nice on Thursday night, killing at least 84 people in an apparent terrorist attack in which the driver also opened fire on revelers before being shot dead by police.

The truck struck the crowd after a fireworks display for the French national day on the Promenade des Anglais, a seaside walk in this southern French city. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve announced early Friday that in addition to the dead, another 18 people were in critical condition.

Witnesses described total chaos, with the crackle of gunfire and people screaming as they fled the scene. Graphic video and photographs flooding social media showed the bodies strewn for a mile along the boulevard where the truck plowed into the crowd. Revelers ran while sirens blared.

“I saw bodies flying,” recall witnesses to Nice attack

France has declared three days of mourning beginning Saturday and flags will fly at half-mast.

Christian Estrosi, president of the regional council told French television channel BFM TV that “the driver fired on the crowd” and his behavior appeared to be “completely premeditated.” He said more than 10 children were killed in the attack.

A police source confirmed to Reuters the suspect was a 31-year-old French-Tunisian man born in Tunisia who was known to French police for committing common crimes but was not known to outside intelligence sources.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...mepage%2Fstory