the authorities begin their investigation into last night's attack at the waterfront in nice. the man driving a truck rammed a crowd killing 84 people. was he working alone? french officials tried to build up a profile of the attacker. standing shoulder to shoulder with france. and other keytes allies offer condolences, as well as the closest security operation. the president speaking a while ago, says the u.s. will not be deterred.

it is 8 p.m. here in the french capital. continued coverage of the nice attacks. in the nice scene cathedral, where people have been paying tribute to the victims of last night's attack, which claimed the lives of 84 people. thousands were beginning to gather on the palm tree-lined waterfront to celebrate france's national day. the scene ofome one of the most horrific tax in recent memory. 31-year-old technetium born french national drove his truck at high speed throughout the crowds, apparently zigzagging to inflict maximum damage. 10 of those killed were children

or teenagers. around 50 of them are fighting for their lives. the attack was of an undeniable terrorist nature. dead were french, american, aenian, mororoccan, swiss, to an e easy and, and ukrainian n nationals. the white van was towowed away frfrom the scene this afternrno. say the mancutors who rammed that truck into the as -- he being named was totally unknown to the hadlligence services and he never been flagged up for any signs of radicalization. reporting now on the ongoing investigation. police moved into overdrive in the aftermath of thursday night's massacre. licensend a driver's along with a pistol, two replica assault rifles and a deactivated

they would soon widen the net. >> searches were carried out fridayay morning at two address. assorted materials including computers and telephones were seized, along with various documents. we are currently sorting through this. j just as wase arare said to be the suspects home. his wifeso detained for questioning. investigators were seeking to determine whether he had any help before hand and where it may have come from. had a criminal record and had been under judicial supervision following a road rage incident earlier this year. of theftinor offenses and vandalism, he shown no previous sign of radicalization.

>> we are following the investigation. tell less more about what sort of a picture we are able to build up. he was a 31-year-old tunisian born man. in this town in tunisia. he has been liviving legally for the past few years we don't know exactly when he moved to this country. permit, he isence not a french citizen. today this morning at 11 a.m., his ex-wife was taken into custody. -- this hasn per been confirmed by the paris prosecutor. neighbors say he wasn't overly religious. would do things like break is fast early.

one neighbor said she had concerns about him because he would i heard two daughters. while he did appear to be a radical on the outside he did have run-ins with law enforcement. assault and for theft between 2010 and 2016. to as sentenced by a court six month prison term for an assault back in january of this year. these are essentially petty crimes in france, which means it wasn't known to anti-terror authorities. >> what re do we know about the vehicle? saw pictures of it being removed from the area. was it his truck? >> no, it wasn't his truck. a license toit, drive such a heavy-duty vehicle. the truck was rented.

it was a 19 ton refrigerated truck. it was picked up on thursday morning, yesterday morning at 9:34 local time. the truck disappeared off police cameras until 10:30 p.m. before it went on his rampage down the promenade. wall the truck was ramming itself into spectators who were didhing the fireworks, it -- he did have an altercation with police. unfortunately the three officers were not able to stop him and the truck continued down its path for 300 meters. foundriday police have automatic pistol bullets, cartridges in the truck. a secondtors found fake automatic pistol, as well

as two replica ak-47 and one grenade. phone, whicha cell they are now examining. they canooking to see find any finger pants on any of the weapons, potentially to try to find any a compliment -- any accomplices. prosecutor's,he authorities raided two locations in the city. they see documents, phones, as well as computers. they will be combing through all of those, trying to find any link to a jihadist group. with youl check in later on and get some more on the ongoing investigation. now to central paris. in a of course you were place that was the focal point for after the paris attacks. what is being seen there this

evening? >> good evening. people, aeing a few few gathered here on the public square. a memorial after the paris attacks. of the places that came under attack -- for weeks or months hundreds, even thousands of people came here, laying flowers, lighting candles, showing pictures, bringing flags, and even a superstar singer came here singing john lennon's imagine. fewer flags. and then after the attacks we're -- this is people just another gathering, more flowers, more flags, more candles.

for those gathered right behind me, this is really important, to look back what happened. now listen to some of them. >> i think it is important to come together. it is a way to show solidarity with the families of the victims and with the victims themselves. >> w we will continue to dance,e will continue to live together. the islamists will not drag us down. >> i wish for them. they are with us in our hearts. we think of them a lot and want to tell them to stay strong. >> listening to those individuals you spoke to there. there seems to be a strong sense of defiance, that these attached -- these attacks may injure us but they won't change our way of life. is that representative of what

people are saying? >> absolutely. when you look at the pictures and talk to people, you get a sense that the wound has been reopened. hollande saidcois the country has been struck by a horrifying attack, but that france will defeat terrorism. there might a sense be more attacks, it may happen again. for those that are gathered here, what is important is to show that french people can get together, even after horrible events. tois important for them just be together, lay those flowers, and talk. >> thank you very much. live in paris. beens the globe there has a chorus of condemnation and

messages of sympathy for the victims following this latest attack on french soil. let's take a look at the scene in moscow, where u.s. secretary of state john kerrrry and his counterpart signed a book of inbuilt -- book of condolences for the french embassy. the russian prejudice and described the attack as an monstrous evil. let's take a look at the rest of the international reaction to last night's shocking turn of events. news broke, france immediately received messages from around the world. messages of support, solidarity, and sorrow. one of the first to react was the u.s. president barack obama. on this day we are reminded of extraordinary resilience and democratic values that has made france and inspiration to the entire world. we know that is the character of the french republic will and do her after this devastating and

tragic loss of life. >> the belgian prime minister offered his condolences. >> we know all too well how this drama is absolutely horrible for the families and loved ones are ones of thoseoved affected. >> meanwhile the flags were at half mast. on her second day as british prime minister she vowed to fight terrorism. our effortsedouble murderersthese brutal who want to destroy our way of life. we must work with france and our partners around the world to stand up for our values and our

freedom. >> the russian president also made an emotional public announcement. crime which led to death and injuries of russian citizens taken out with extreme brutality and cynicism. only through a united effort can we defeat terrorism. >> these are a few of the messages that continue to pour in. while european and leaders offer their support, countries making a rapid assessment of their own security measures to prevent such an attack on home soil. nationals killed during those attacks, among them three german nationals. germany,ambassador to they stood side-by-side, tributes to all the victims were paid. the german and

french national anthem's. toys and candles will be left outside the french embassy. we can speak to jessica in berlin. three german nationals among the dead. what has been the reaction? -- germans are deeply saddened and shocked. many german citizens have been taking to social media throughout the day to express their sadness and offer condolences. today condemning the attack yesterday and expressing sadness. angola merkel called for solidarity at this time. somberd particularly after it was confirmed to students and a teacher from a berlin school were among those who were killed yesterday.

as you just said the mayor of berlin actually spoke of this sadness and expressed his condolences today. he spoke on the brandenburg fore t that has been set up the annual festival that was supposed be taken n place totod berlin. >> stay with us because we can listen to at the german chancellor and glimmer had to say early on. >> are sympathy can never make up for the loss of so many lies -- many lives. solidarity of all the people in germany and france, solidarity when all the countries are involved in the fight against terrorism.

germany stands by france in the fight against terrorism. despite the difficulties, we will win this fight. >> the german chancellor speaking there. do you get the feel that people in germany are nervous, that such an attack and happen across the border on german soil? germany has never experienced , large-scale terrorist attacks but there are terror experts and internationally the police believe germany could be a potential target following the wake of the paris attacks. german intelligence had received quite a lot of inforormation tht ate some believe that germany could be a potential risk.

while german intelligence is working extrememely hard, he couldn't guarantee a similar attack wouldn't happen on german soil. it also came toto light that soe of the members who planned the attacks in the preceding months had been traveling in and out of germany, a around germanany with regular frequency. showing perhaps there was a large blind spot to german intelligence. we have seen france having to play a lot of catch-up, trying to get its intelligence and security on the national level up to date. they have been training police on a local level to deal with terrorism, which is unprecedented. and also streamlining information between intelligence agencies. he doesn't want to create a a culture of fear in germany. the majority of germansns i spek

they are aware ofof a police presence in central areas of bein. they do not want to leave their daily lives any differently. they don't want it toto affect e way y they lead their lives. >> thank you again. let's take you back to nice, where crowds are beginning to gather this evening. makeshift memorials, leaving flowers and candles. standing together very much as they did here in paris after the two sets of paris attacks last year. it was explained to us by psychologists at the time. of gathering and collective mourning is part of the healing process.

therefore it is not surprising to see they are in nice as well. people have chosen to gather in silence at this makeshift memorial. following what has been a most shocking incident in the city's history. we had a little early on from the prime minister, who said there had been no security failings in that attack. he said there was no security failing. the authorities here believe there was not much that could have been done to prevent what was a 19 ton truck careering .own the palisade there bastille day, national day last night. those attacks happen just under 20 hours ago. getting used to this shocking reality they'll look to this morning.

the french president visited the bastille hospital. france's married -- >> people recall the tragic events on the palisade. some people have come because they haven't heard from their loved one since the attack. this italian man arrived friday morning. he is looking for his wife and daughter. >> they may be here, injured. fireworks onthe the promenade. i have no news. with minorscaped injuries, but they are

traumatized. >> at first i thought it was the kind of truck that picks up fences and barriers. he was going faster and faster and realized it wasn't that kind of truck at all. children onodies of the ground. there was a two-year-old girl, her mother was next to her crying. first to one of the see the bodies after the truck has passed. the bodies that are on these front pages. i said something to each of them and then i covered them with a white sheet. around the scene. we found one dead, two dead, three dead. i haven't been able to sleep since. i can't sleep. the injured were brought in by the dozens. some of them in critical condition. most of the victims families

have remained silent. people have taken to social media to find their loved ones, and authorities have set up emergency hotlines to help who haven't heard from their families and friends. >> last night's attack was the third such killing in eight months, and the third on french soil in the space of 18 months. current -- caused considerable concern. taking a look back at the attacks that were carried here -- carried out here in france. of januaryeventh on the- opened fire offices of the satirical magazine charlie hebdo.

the next day an accomplice of the brothers murders a policewoman and the following day takes hostages at a supermarket in eastern paris, killing four. 17 people murdered specifically for being journalists, members of the police, or jews. six months later in june, a man identified in place as a follower of radical islam -- he later commit suicide in prison. in august a heavily armed man began shooting on a train between amsterdam and paris. islamist attacks have evolved in one major way. here the assailant's subdued by his fellow passengers. a tactic used to devastating

effect three months later. on the 13th of november 3 suicide bombers detonated their vest. , simultaneously their conferences embark on a massacre in central paris. three men opened fire on the packed room before blowing themselves up. 130 people were killed. since theest attack second world war. in june a police man and his partner were murdered. just like the majority of attacks committed. >> looking back on what has been a series of attacks. just now hearing from the

french interior minister, who says there is no link for the time being between the nice attack and radical islam. those are the words of the french interior minister's. the 30's trying to builild up a picture of who he was. following the investigation, we have talked about the attacker and his profile and the vehicle he used. state ofk about the emergency france has been under since the november attacks. the stateword about of emergency being relaxed, it is back now. what does it even achieve? >> french authorities had little choice but to extend the state of emergency. what it does is it basically allows for tight h her bordeder

controls at places like airports, train stations, and authorities are allowed to search homes day or night without a warrant. and to give more leeway to place people under house arrest. it gives the public -- to gives the government the opportunity to ban public gatherings. the challenging part is how do attacksent lone wolf like these in nice? and from someone who is not known t to the authorities. and in an area that had a strong police presence. a 19 tonone is driving truck there is only so much police barricades can do. of the day we are living in france, a free country.

tough one. >> we have the french prime and his or saying there were no security failings as far as he was concerned and how the police officers followed procedure. thank you for sharing that with us. i will be back

07/15/16 07/15/16 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from pacifica, this is democracy y now! thisance is afflicted by new tragedy. it is horrified. this monstrosity that consists of using a truck to kill them until early -- deliver really kill people there to celebrate bastille day. amy: 84 people are dead in the french city of nice after a truck plows into a massive crowd celebrating bastille day. france has extended its state of emergency and vowed to expand its military pre