New York, NY, July 15, 2016 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) expressed shock and outrage at a horrific terrorist attack in Nice, France, which targeted revelers at Bastille Day celebrations. The driver of the truck used in the attack was identified as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a 31-year-old French Tunisian. At least 84 people were killed when a truck was driven into a crowd of revelers.
“This attack was the ninth attack by terrorists since Charlie Hebdo. Their aim is to weaken France, and they have failed,” said Marvin D. Nathan, ADL National Chair, and Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “While there’s still much we don’t know about the attack, it is clear that once again France is in the crosshairs of terrorism. We extend our solidarity with the people of Nice, and to all of France.”
Run-over style attacks, like the one perpetrated yesterday in Nice, are often promoted by terrorist groups and their supporters and is a staple of their propaganda, from ISIS to Al Qaeda to Palestinian terrorists, according to ADL’s Center on Extremism, which monitors terrorist networks and propaganda. Terrorist incitement and online literature is focused on providing practical tips for would-be terrorists, encouraging networks of supporters to carry out actions with limited resources.
In a letter to President Francois Hollande, ADL expressed “sorrow and solidarity” with France, noting that France is on the frontlines of the type of terror that has impacted every nation. “We have admired the responses by your government and the French people to the campaign of terror attacks,” Mr. Greenblatt wrote. “Those celebrating the founding values of the French Republic were targeted, as were those values themselves.”