This is so sad. After police identified the man behind the Bastille Day attack in Nice, France, more information has come forward. Here is everything we know about Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhel, the terrorist behind the horrific incident.
After plowing through a crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, 31, killed 84 innocent people and injured 202 in the French Rivera city. That number is subject to change as dozens of people are still in critical condition. He was shot and killed by police after he got out of his truck following the massacre.
1. How was Mohamed identified?
After killing the attacker, police found his ID and bank card in his delivery drunk. Not long after, “investigators and forensic experts raided his flat in the working-class Abattoirs area,” BBC News reported.
2. Mohamed, a French man of Tunisian descent, born in 1985, has quite the rap sheet.
The delivery man was known by police because he was previously convicted for armed robbery, domestic violence and making threats, and he was once arrested after he fell asleep while driving for work, the New York Daily News notes, according to France’s BFM-TV. He did serve a “suspended six-month prison sentence this year after being convicted of violence with a weapon,” CNN reports. No radical organization has come forth to claim responsibility or part in the attack, and Mohamed apparently had no known ties to any terrorist group. Investigating sources also mentioned that his last appearance in a criminal court was as recent as March.
3. Reports claim he was divorced, as well as still married but not living with his wife. The two share three children together.
Mohamed had apparently become depressed following the crumbling of his marriage, BFM-TV revealed. Neighbors described the troubled man as “depressed, unstable and even aggressive.” They also claim he had been unhappy since his apparent split with his wife and he was going through financial troubles.
A woman who knows Mohamed’s family said he was kicked out of the home he shared with his family more than a year ago after allegedly beating his wife, BBC News reported. Their home was located in the Le Ray area of Nice.
Click here for more pictures from the Bastille Day attack in Nice
4. Mohamed was known for his odd, unkind behavior and liking for a lot of women, by neighbors close to him.
“He [didn’t] pray and like[d] girls and salsa,” the France BFM-TV station correspondent mentioned. One neighbor even said, “He was rude and a bit weird,” according to the station. Describing an encounter with the attacker the neighbor said, “We would hold the door open for him and he would just blank [us]. He kept himself to himself but would always rant about his wife. He had marital problems and would tell people in the local cafe. He scared my children though.” She added, “He was very smart with the same haircut as George Clooney.” Other neighbors referred to him as a “handsome” man and had similar descriptions of him. Most of them mentioned his fondness for women.
5. Contrary to belief, Mohamed was NOT on any terror watch list.
The attacker was not on any terror watch list, sources told the France TV station. The father-of-three had no known ties to any terrorist group. Also, no radical organizations have come forth to affirm responsibility for the massacre.
HollywoodLifers, we will keep you updated at more details emerge from the brutal attack on Nice, France. You can leave your thoughts about the Bastille Day attack in the comments below.
