Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel Identified as Bastille Day Attacker

Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel has been identified as the man who killed nearly 100 people in Nice, France on Thursday night.

As previously reported, tragedy stuck this city during a celebration of Bastille Day last night, with this 31-year-old French-Tunisian allegedly plowing through a crowd of people with his truck.

He drove it nearly two kilometers, taking out a multitude of revelers in the process.

At the latest count, 84 people had been killed in the attack and over 100 injured.

However, French President Francois Hollande said this morning that the death toll is expected to rise throughout the coming days.

According to The Associated Press, he said that around 50 people are hovering between life and death as a result of Bouhlel’s unspeakable actions.

Hollande explained that the truck attack was done “to satisfy the cruelty of an individual, and maybe a group,” adding that France is “facing a struggle, which will be long.”

In light of this terrorist action, President Obama released the following statement yesterday evening:

“We stand in solidarity and partnership with France, our oldest ally, as they respond to and recover from this attack.”

Multiple eyewitnesses have also spoken to various outlets over the last 12 hours or so, documents what they saw on the street.

“There was carnage on the road,” Wassim Bouhlel, a Nice native, told The AP, saying “bodies [were] everywhere.”

Regarding Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel:

CNN says the suspected attacker was known to police for nothing more than petty crimes.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the mass murder, althought officers are searching Bouhlel’s home in the Abattoirs neighborhood of the French Riviera city for clues or evidence.

Aside from just driving the truck through a sea of humanity, Bouhlel has loaded up the vehicle with arms and grenades, according to the AP. 

He opened his door upon eventually stopping and then opened fire, prior to being killed in a shoout with police.

We send our thoughts and prayers to the victims of this attack.

Bastille Day Attack: Truck Crashes Into Crowd in France, 75 Killed

Horrifying news out of France today:

At least 75 people were killed late when a man driving a large truck drove into a large crowd in Nice that had gathered to celebrate Bastille Day.

According to The Associated Press, via a witness who was on hand for the heinous act, a driver plowed directly into a throng of citizens prior to getting out of the vehicle with a gun, firing away in all directions.

The culprit was shot to death, authorities have confirmed. 

At least 100 people were injured in the slaughter, the same authorities have also said.

“There was carnage on the road,” Wassim Bouhlel, a Nice native, told The Associated Press. “Bodies everywhere.” 

Another individual who was present told Fox News that cops did, indeed, shoot and kill the gunman; his name has not yet been released.

Various photos, meanwhile, depict police trucks riddled with bullets, a result of a gunfight between the suspect and police.

CNN reports that the tractor-trailer drove for two kilometers along the pavement of the Boulevard des Anglais, the main street in Nice, taking out pedestrians along the way.

Regional President Christian Estrosi says police discovered firearms, explosives and grenades in the truck after the shooter was taken out.

“This is the worst tragedy in the history of Nice with more than 70 victims already reported,” Estrosi Tweeted this evening.

Another person on the scene told the Telegraph that the area was “absolute chaos” and that there were cops “flooding the streets, including anti-terrorism officers.”

Bastille Day marks the storming of the Bastille in 1789. It is a bank holiday in France, with restaurants and hotels especially crowded with revelers.

Soon after news of the tragedy went public, President Obama issued a statement condemning the attack, saying:

“We stand in solidarity and partnership with France, our oldest ally, as they respond to and recover from this attack.”

We’ll update this sad story as more news breaks.

Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of the victims.