After yesterday’s horrific terrorist attack in Nice, France the death toll has risen to 84 dead, 50 people are severely injured, 20 of those people are in the intensive care unit. Ten children were among those killed.
People reported just a horrific atrocity, ‘so many dead bodies on the street’. Nearby restaurants were taking their table cloths and covering the dead. Among all this, the body of a little girl covered with her doll by her side. At first glance the doll looked like a tiny child until you were able to zoom in on the picture and realize it was a doll.
There was a Muslim couple who were the first victims of this terrorist attack. One man risked his life trying to stop the truck driver and he was run over.
A syndicated news columnist indicated that part of the terrorist documentation included instructions on how to use a large vehicle and plow through a crowd of people usually congregated for a celebration, that now was France’s Bastille Day, July 14th.
No one could have predicted or prevented this. The government identified the attacker as a 31-year-old native of Tunisia. Paris prosecutor, François Molins, identified the attacker as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, he was a delivery-truck driver who was born on Jan. 3, 1985, and raised in Msaken, a town in northeastern Tunisia. The terrorist had a history of petty crime, including burglary and theft, and received a six-month suspended sentence in March for assaulting a motorist during an altercation. He was a lone wolf, he acted alone in this horrific attack. It was reported his wife had left him with their three children.
This is the third devastating attack in France in the last year and a half; 19 months. Last year a series of coordinated multiple attacks were executed on November 13th, 2015, 130 people were killed during a relaxed enjoyable evening eating out and enjoying themselves in cafes, restaurants, and at a concert hall, the Bataclan Theater. Another 368 people were injured, 80 to 90 seriously injured. Before that in January, 2015 terrorists attacked the Charlie Hebdo offices and a Jewish supermarket in Paris that killed 17 people and wounded 22 others. All this added to the recent terrorist attacks in Brussels; Istanbul; Orlando, Florida; and Baghdad.
France’s President Mr. Hollande said, “The horror, the horror has, once again, hit France,” He told the nation early Friday morning before leaving for Nice. He said the “terrorist character” of the assault was undeniable, and he described the use of a large truck to deliberately kill people as “a monstrosity.”
Comments from Donald Trump, the United States Republican Nominee said, “We are at war”. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Nominee said, “We have to raise our intelligence services abroad, etc..” The former Secretary of State after exposing thousands of top secret national security classified documents resonated with the FBI Director James Comey’s findings he noted as “Carelessness”. We can’t afford to be so careless or grossly negligent in these times of seriously facing terrorist attacks every month in one country or another.
These terrorist attacks create more polarization among the Muslim communities from the other nationality communities throughout European countries. One of Brexit’s decision was based on their threat of terrorist attacks because of the Muslim communities in their country.
Terrorists are not Muslim, are not Islam, and are not Sane. They are a part of a radical jihadist group of angry men taking innocent lives. They are very angry, very divisive and cunning and they lack empathy and compassion. All this contributes to their animosity and deep hatred to create such atrocities. If they have lost the love, respect, and integrity for themselves then they cannot feel for those around them who are completely innocent in their path of destruction.
We extend are deep condolences to all the families who have lost a loved one in last nights horrific attack in Nice, France.
Always maintain your vigilance, identify your exits, go through an exercise in your mind and share with your family how you can best protect yourself and your loved one when you are out in public and especially attending a celebratory event.
©Natalie Keshing Editor-in-Chief of NatsWritings.com or NatalieKeshing.com