The Islamic State (ISIS) group has claimed responsibility for Thursday night’s deadly truck attack during Bastille Day festivities in the French city of Nice, though it provided no further information to substantiate its claim.
The ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq announced the claim in a brief statement on Saturday morning, saying Thursday’s attack was carried out by a “soldier” of the Islamic State. It came some 36 hours after the attack was carried out.
The statement went on to say that the attacker – who has been identified as 31-year-old Mohamed Bouhlel – had “responded favorably” to the group’s call to target countries that participate in the military coalition against ISIS. The phrasing likely indicates that Bouhlel acted on his own without having been in contact with ISIS, according to terrorism experts.
The attack in Nice happened at about 10:30 p.m. on Thursday when a cargo truck deliberately plowed into large crowds at the Promenade des Anglais, where thousands of people were attending a fireworks show to mark France’s National Day.
A total of 84 people were killed and about 200 others were injured, making it France’s worst attack since the Paris attacks in November. Prosecutors said on Friday that Bouhlel was known for threats and violence but was unknown to intelligence services and there were no prior signs of radicalization.
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