How’d he get through? Security in question after Nice attack
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Police patrol near the scene of a truck attack on the famed Promenade des Anglais in Nice, southern France, Saturday, July 16, 2016. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve says that the truck driver who killed 84 people when he careened into a crowd at a fireworks show was “radicalized very quickly.”
This time, France was supposed to have been better prepared.
Despite a state of emergency following two recent terror attacks, authorities in France are facing criticism that they should have done more to protect one of the softest of soft targets: A pedestrian zone in Nice where 30,000 people — families and fun-seekers among them — turned out for Bastille Day celebrations that were turned to tragedy by a truck driver’s deadly rampage.
Around 105 police officers and soldiers were deployed at the festivities, the Interior Ministry told The Associated Press. But critics are saying that wasn’t enough to protect the several miles-long stretch of the city’s seaside Promenade des Anglais that had been closed to traffic. During Thursday’s fireworks display, the attacker was able to drive a 19-ton truck through police controls and barrel 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) through the crowd, killing 84 people, before being shot death by police.
Previous attacks in Paris, Brussels and beyond exposed France’s and Europe’s vulnerability to extremist attacks by affiliates and supporters of radical groups like Islamic State and al-Qaida. Thursday’s killing spree now underlined the difficulties of guarding against attacks when an everyday vehicle can be turned into a devastating weapon.
“Now is the time for mourning, but I sense that anger is growing,” Christian Estrosi, the conservative president of the greater Nice region, told France Info radio.
Estrosi, a member of the opposition Republicans, said he had requested that the police presence be reinforced in Nice ahead of the fireworks display but was told there was no need. In an open letter published on the Nice Matin newspaper’s website, he denounced France’s current Socialist leadership as “incapable.”
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Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said high security had been assured in the region, pointing to the Cannes Film Festival in May and the Nice Carnival in February. Speaking to reporters Saturday, Cazeneuve said the truck “forced its way through by mounting the sidewalk” to dodge police cars blocking the way to the promenade.
France is heading into elections next year, and at a time when President Francois Hollande is deeply unpopular, rivals within his own Socialist Party, from the right-wing Republicans, and from the far-right National Front are jockeying for position.
In a France 2 TV interview Friday evening, Prime Minister Manuel Valls insisted there was no breakdown in security and lashed out at critics for playing politics. Government spokesman Stephane Le Foll warned against attempts to divide the country, calling for “unity and cohesion.”
“This attack is one of those attacks that is almost impossible to stop,” said Charles Heyman, a defense and security analyst and former editor of Jane’s Police and Security Handbook. “This was a lone wolf-attack, and every society at risk of a lone-wolf attack: You just have to soak them up.”
But the deployment of just over 100 police and soldiers “sounds like a very small number” to protect a crowd of 30,000, he said. “My gut feeling is that you would have in excess of 200 at least, with more police in reserve” to intervene if necessary.
The truck’s driver, 31-year-old Tunisian Mohamed Bouhlel, had a record for petty crimes, but was not on a radicalization watch list.
The Islamic State group on Saturday claimed the attack was carried out by one of its “soldiers” inspired by its calls for civilians to be targeted, though it didn’t name Bouhlel in its statement.
Both IS and al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula have called on supporters — especially Muslims in France — to use any weapons at hand and attack anywhere. AQIP released propaganda depicting a truck as “the ultimate mowing machine,” while IS urged French supporters to “run them over with your cars,” just days after the November attacks in Paris.
Even if the motives remain unclear, critics fault the government for letting its guard down.
“If there really was a state of emergency we should not have had a gathering like the fireworks show. We forgot. We forgot because the Euro went well,” Nathalie Goulet, a senator who headed a commission investigating jihadi recruitment networks, told the AP. She was referring to the European soccer tournament that France hosted this summer, which was marred by rowdy fans but saw no terror attacks.
After the attach, Hollande extended for three months the state of emergency put in place after multiple extremist attacks in and near Paris on Nov. 13. The decree allows searches of homes without a warrant and house-arrests of suspects without formal charge. It also lets authorities ban any gathering deemed a security risk.
“We know Nice was a target … of course my colleagues knew the city was in danger, under pressure,” Alliance police union official Laurent Laubry told i-Tele cable news network, noting how a Nice police officer had been stabbed by a suspected extremist in January.
Michel Thooris of the right-leaning Action Police union blamed lax application of the state of emergency and said the government hasn’t controlled borders.
Thooris also noted how a government decision several years ago weakened the type of bullet that French police can use, rendering the ones fired Thursday less effective against the heavy-duty truck frame. He also said authorities could have rolled out mobile spiked barriers in the road to block any wayward vehicle, and noted that metal barriers and even mere plastic ribbon were used to cordon off areas in Nice.
“This state of emergency has been used as a tool of communication, not a tool really to fight terrorism,” he said.
But Luc Poignant of the left-leaning Unite SGP Force Ouvriere police union doubted a spiked roadway barrier would have worked. “When you have a 19-ton truck, not much is going to stop it — whether a barrier, an officer or a tape line,” he said.
“Afterward, people will always say that we should have done things differently.”
20 responses to “How’d he get through? Security in question after Nice attack”
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Poor security, he went for a mile before they stopped him. Make his family and friends that Knew pay dearly.
Yup, like they used to do that during the Goguryeo and Joseon dynasties. The families of traitors were killed off sometimes to the third degree of relationship. So, this would include a person’s great grandparents to his great grandchildren. All would have been exterminated. Seems a bit excessive but Japanese samurai Miyamoto Musashi once had to kill a boy child knowing that if he let him live, as the clan scion and survivor he would one day avenge his family by killing Miyamoto.
Donald Drumpf Trump would say, “Do it, or you’re fired!”
Wonder if the Communist Chinese still charge executed prisoners’ families for the cost of the bullet?
And castrate everybody, even if they only knew who he was but had never met him. Family and friends are not legally responsible for the actions of these individuals unless they somehow participated in the crime.
What do you expect the police to do? No vehicles allowed? Strip search everybody and lie detectors for everybody before entry?
Your argument lamely presumes that just because the police cannot do everything, it in no way entails that they could have done more. In hindsight security was very lax and more should have been done. The mere presence of a large truck at such an event should have alerted authorities to the possibility of a truck bomb but they failed to inspect the truck which would have been the obvious thing to do.
Yes, exactly: no vehicles allowed during the fireworks show when 30,000 people are crowding the promenade. Pull trucks across the entire roadway and sidewalks. There are alternate routes for vehicles.
One of the networks mentioned that he was stopped by the police and was allowed to proceed, claiming that he had a supply of freezer condiments to deliver.
Yes, CNN mentioned that. Was trying to deliver ice cream in an ice box truck for children.
You don’t deliver ice cream in a panel van in the middle of summer.
What happened to the neighborhood “Mr. Goodbar” ice cream truck?
Mr. Softie was driving an unrefrigerated 19 tonne freight lorry
barring concrete barriers, which are time consuming, to block event perimeters, cities might think about staggering large planters along sidewalks to thwart trucks or other vehicles from having easy access to sidewalks and pedestrians. the planters would also afford limited protection in bombings or shootings.
increased police presence for every event is expensive. planters, once placed would provide protection way beyond their initial cost of installation.
There are those water-filled barriers that you drain when finished using them. But Nice officials have no excuse. So, they consider themselves a resort city that no one would want to terrorize. So, they did nothing in the way of real security. Remember, that’s the premise of Jaws. Don’t worry people unnecessarily.
You know, given our state’s laxness on security and our similar resort tradition, might we not have something similar here. Remember the toy choo-choo at one point came awfully close to Honolulu International Airport until they realigned the route.
Or cars driven into airport complex, March 2004, pissed off guy drove his Jeep Cherokee into Kahului Airport TSA Check point, then set it on fire or October 23 , 2005, Micheal Abela drove his Neon into Hawaiian and Aloha Airlines baggage claim…
Sheriff’s classified it as a traffic accident because State transportation did not want to sent off alarms about airports vulnerable points.
This is an example of biased reporting: “France is heading into elections next year, and at a time when President Francois Hollande is deeply unpopular, rivals within his own Socialist Party, from the right-wing Republicans, and from the far-right National Front are jockeying for position.” If you want to call the Republicans “right wing,” and the National Front “far right wing,” should you call the Socialist Party “far left wing,” or “Commie Ratlike” or something?
What do you expect the police to do? No vehicles allowed? Strip search everybody and lie detectors for everybody before entry?
Should let these terrorist know if they If they commit the act of terrorism, they will be shot with bullets dipped in pigs blood and buried in a pig sty collection area, will never meet alllah and will not experience the 100 virgins.
Yup, my friend did this with the Moros in Southern Philippines, then they made him a general…. Put him in charge of President’s Marco’s security detail. Spent many hours listening to his stories over San Miguel Beers- free cause Marcos owned controlling stock.
How did he get through? He did not get through as the AP reported and as many commenters seem to think. French media, citing police sources, reported that Mohamed Laouaiej Bouhlel parked his truck on the promenade before 3:00 PM when roads leading to the promenade were closed off as the city was preparing for the celebrations. Thus, he was already inside the restricted area when the barriers went up and waited there for nearly nine hours before starting his attack. When police officers approached him to ask why he was there, he said he was delivering ice cream and they allowed him to stay parked on the beachfront without checking his vehicle. https://www.rt.com/news/351541-nice-attack-ice-cream/
Security is only good as the weakest link. Need to hire college graduates who can think and organize. Not memorize orders. Duh, nobody wen tell me about no ice cream truck.