Bastille Day Horror in Nice

[Czechlervitz30]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y60wDzZt8yg sky news live coverage

Three days of mourning and a state of alert for the next three months

[RobertE]

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure we're bombing them more. We've also sent undercover special forces directly into the ISIS capital, according to some sources.

Two differences. First, your country hasn't got a disenfranchised proportion of youths, originating from the most sensible regions for recruitment. France has second or third generations coming from Algeria, Tunesia and other former colonies where radical islam is on the rise. They are born French, but traditionally without hope to ever scratch a decent living. In previous years that led to riots in the so called Banlieus. Now they're recruitment fodder for radical preachers, offering them some purpose in life. The killed driver is reported to have been French with Tunesian roots.

Secondly, if you want to destabilize Europe, France seems like the most logical angle. For reasons I gave above. If Le Pen wins the presidential elections next year, there's a good chance that the country would leave the EU. Which would lead to political as well as economical turmoil, since the Euro would be dead too. Europe would be occupied with itself for years to come. Foreign intervention would be off the table. Precious time for gorups like ISIL to regroup and to gain strength again, since the USA would be the only country still willing and able to fight them abroad.

"Disenfranchised proportion of youths"? All minorities have been more or less targeted over the centuries in Europe or indeed in the United States. However, if ever there was a group of people who were "traditionally had no hope to scratch a decent living", it would have been the Jewish population in France, Spain and elsewhere in Europe. Just take a long look at the atrocities committed by the Christians in France against the Jewish, or why not the Christians in Spain who were targetting the Jewish too. 

Why don't we look at other ethnic groups who live in and around Paris. For example, there are Vietnamiens, there are Chinese, there are Indians (both Sikh and Hindu), there are Cantonese, there are other Europeans. The bottom line is this, just like everyone else, the world does NOT owe them a living. Furthermore, it grinds my gears that some of the "disenfranchised", youths have clothes that I would need to work a whole 
two months for, whereas I have responsibilities to feed my children, where other ethnic minorities have to juggle many jobs to feed their families. It is about time they started blaming the system and looked at themselves in the mirror. All in all, the French government owe them nothing, Europe owes them nothing and if anything, Europe has given them a place in a society which is free, a society which allows them to drink beer when they want, smoke weed when they want and be general nuisances when they want. I think you'll find the English equivalent being a CHAV, where they blame everyone else except themselves. 

Furthermore to your statement about the riots, especially in Clichy Sous Bois in 2005(?) It had nothing to do with youths being targeted. The incident was simply a chase between two people on a scooter and a police car. They were chased after and decided to jump into a electric substation (bright idea, not) and the rest as they say is history. So, with that in mind, would you be happy supporting them, knowing full well that your car is next on the list to be burnt out? It happened, and it is not a pretty sight. 

As an Englishman, I found it very tough to live in France for the first couple of years due to the language, and it would have been easy to (just like those listed above) blame the French, the country and its government. However, I got down to some really hard work and it paid off at the end. I went back to England in 2008, and came back 18 months later and decided to live in Paris. Two weeks of being in Paris, I got a temporary job at the end of July 2009. Guess what, I have had 6 promotions in 7 years and all because I motivated myself in spite of being criticised because I am English, because of my accent etc.

[vorlon13]

BTW, what kind of nutball brings fake grenades to a terrorist attack ??

Got a source for that?

From The Week (see update at bottom)

Nice's deputy mayor, Christian Estrosi, said that the truck that plowed into a crowd of Bastille Day celebrants, killing up to 84 and wounding 100, in the French Riviera town on Thursday night was filled with "guns and grenades." He described them as "powerful, operational weapons." Echoing witness reports, he also said the driver shot into the panicked crowd before being gunned down by police. "He apparently shot from his window, causing devastation from his weapon," Estrosi said. You can read more at France 24.

Update 1:57 a.m. Friday: A source close to the investigation told Agence France-Presse that one of the grenades found inside the truck was "inactive," and several of the rifles were fake. Nico Lauricella

[brewer]

I heard a report that he had one functional handgun. Can't remember where.

[account_inactive]

Of course he had a functional handgun. The guy fired at crowds and police, according to eyewitnesses.

[abaris]

I heard a report that he had one functional handgun. Can't remember where.

Rumors, yes. Confirmed as of yet, no.

Nothing's confirmed as of now, other than 80+ people fell victim to this maniac. I watched the news coverage on german tv this afternoon, who have their correspondents in Nizza. They also had several criminalists and profilers in the studio debating which is more likely. That this was indeed a planned terrorist attack or just some guy, with a criminal record for robbery, violence and domestics, going over the edge. As I mentioned before, we had a similar incident only last year. The only, and thankfully big difference is that he only left three fatalities when plowing into the crowd. Turned out that not only was he a schizophreniac but also that his wife had left him recently. Which triggered the event. Which, going by reports, is also a similarity to Nizza. The guy also has been left by his wife quite recently.

[pocaracas]

More a symbolic act than anything...
BBC Proms: First Night opens with tribute to Nice victims

[brewer]

Seeing verification of a handgun on CNN, USAToday, WCBV. Appears to be more probable than not.

[Rev. Rye]

Is there something wrong with me if my immediate thought upon hearing that some motherfucker mowed down dozens of people with his car in France was "Why doesn't this happen more?"

I mean, I ask because, pound for pound, this probably has to be one of the most efficient means of mass murder possible, partly because car accidents kill more people than any non-disease source, and partly because a 40 mph hit has a 90% chance of killing. And, yet, besides this jackass, Olga Hepnarova, and Priscilla Ford, very few mass murderers have bothered with this method.

Part of me wonders if this could mean more attacks like this could happen, but, of course, I hope not. The method intrigues me, but the possibility of it actually happening again terrifies me to no end.

Well, here's Roald Dahl's take on the sort of intellectial wankery I've been engaging here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPIhtkHJXuI

[brewer]

Saw a report on CNN where Al Qaeda actually actually suggested/promoted using vehicles to mow people down to commit an act of terror.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/14/opinions/t...is-bergen/