Truck Driver In Nice Attack Identified; France Declares Three Days Of National Mourning

A 31-year-old man has been identified by police as the driver who plowed a truck into crowds celebrating Bastille Day in the southern French City of Nice. The killer, a 31-year-old French Tunisian named by local newspaper Nice Matin as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, mounted pavements at high speed and ploughed through crowds celebrating Bastille Day in Nice last night.

GRAPHITTI NEWS based on monitored reports:

Police said on Friday in Paris that the attacker is identified as a Tunisian-born Frenchman. The French-Tunisian man was identified using papers found in the truck after he was killed by police.

One eyewitness filmed armed officers approaching the cab of the lorry (main picture) and firing through its windscreen and doors before it appears Bouhlel can be heard screaming after being hit by a police bullet.

The shootout came after his 30 minute rampage where he aimed at crowds watching fireworks and sent 'bodies flying like bowling pins' and left others 'jammed' under the lorry's wheels at around 10.30pm local time last night. Heartbroken men and women refused to leave the bodies of their loved ones and the dead remain strewn across the famous Promenade des Anglais today.

French citizens, two Americans, one Armenian and one Ukrainian are among the dead with several Britons among the injured while dozens of panicked people have posted images of loved-ones still missing using the hashtags #Nice06 and #recherchenice . At least ten victims were children, with young girls and boys lying dead covered in a blankets with their dolls and buggies still next to them.

Footage taken at the time of the attack shows bodies piled up in the roads and people running from their lives as they tried to avoid the zig-zagging lorry.

First pics of the dead and missing

France today declared three days of national mourning after the truck attack - its third major terror attack in 18 months - and President Francois Hollande said: 'France is in tears, it is hurting but it is strong and she will be stronger - always stronger than the fanatics who wish to hurt us.'

President Francois Hollande called it a terrorist attack.

The attack occurred hours after President Hollande had announced that France would be ending a state of emergency imposed after the November 2015 attacks.

Meanwhile, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in the Ulanbaatar (Mongolia) began with a moment’s silence on Friday following the attacks in Nice.

EU President, Donald Tusk, described it as a sad day for France, Europe and all that were present at the meeting.

“We are united with the French people and government in their fight against violence and terror.

Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj, the host, spoke of “very sad news from France.”

He called on the 34 heads of government and state present from 51 countries in Europe and Asia to observe a minute’s silence for the victims.

Robert Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakia, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, told the meeting that their discussions should include reflection on what happened in Nice.

“The fight against terrorism is among the highest priorities of our governments.

“We condemn terrorist attacks in every form, wherever and whenever they occur,” he said.