15/07/2016 BBC News at Ten

Tonight at 10pm - terror in the South of France -

more than 80 people have been killed - and nearly 200 injured.

Run down by a lorry - many women and children

Fleeing for their lives - thousands run in panic

I was feeling like I was going to die, I was feeling

I didn't know what to do, I just gave up.

The attacker is shot dead at the wheel -

but only after leaving carnage along more than a mile stretch of road.

The killer has been identified as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel,

known to police for violence and petty theft.

He would have nervous attacks and he said he had

When he became nervous he broke everything.

Holiday-makers Paul and Rebecca Gordon were caught up

I could see pretty much the whole event unravelling,

I just turned to my left and I saw the whole road was

Tonight - just eight months after the attacks

on the Bataclan theatre in Paris - France is in mourning again.

There is another major developing story tonight.

Reports of a military coup in Turkey - bridges in Istanbul are blocked -

and there's gunfire in the capital Ankara.

There are images emerging showing a military presence

Coming up we will look at how the papers report the Nice attack with

our guest from France 24 and the Spectator.

Good evening and welcome to the BBC at Ten.

Nice in the South of France, the scene of a major terror attack.

Around this time is nigh this area was full of thousands of people

enjoying a fireworks display in honour of Bastille Day, France's

national day. But by the end of the evening 80 people were left dead

after a lorry ploughed into the crowds of people here killing 80 and

leaving 200 injured. Many of those wounded and who died were women and

children. 50 people are critically injured. The attacker has been named

as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel. More on him later.

But first our Correspondent Lucy Williamson has this report -

It contains images you may find distressing.

They dared to celebrate freedom, and paid with fearful stop beach lovers,

partygoers, children. Out to honour Bastille Day and the founding values

of France. Hunted with the most mundane of weapons, a lorry. It

arrived as the fireworks were ending, crawling onto the promenade

before picking up speed and heading straight for the crowd. Its first

appearance caught on camera by this man. Up until this very moment here

the truck actually didn't run over anybody, yet there was a

motorcyclist trying to approach the truck, trying to open the door while

driving. He failed and fell off the motorcycle. And then there were two

police officers standing right here at that very corner and fired two

gunshots at the driver of the truck. So up until then, all from that

moment on, the rampage took place. The vehicle accelerated and ran in a

very odd way right in the middle of the crowd.

What's happening? What's wrong? Is exact for more than a mile

through the street party as people ran. -- it is exact. ODs were

falling like skittles, one witness said. Another saw parents throwing

their children over fences to try and keep them safe.

GUNFIRE The police surrounded the car and

kept shooting him until they were sure he was dead.

I saw him dead already, I saw his head from outside the window of the

truck. I think when the police officer saw me filming he came up to

me aggressively and started yelling to get down and all the people on

the beach to run because they thought there might be a bomb in the

car, or other people hiding inside the truck from behind. At that

moment I realised there was really something wrong and I started to run

with the people. TRANSLATION: In the cabin there was

an automatic weapon, bullets, a Kalashnikov, M-16s a grenade, mobile

phone, still being investigated, and various documents.

Along the now empty promenade, those who couldn't run waited for help.

The children's Hospital alone counted 50 arrivals. And the faces

of those killed here last night have also begun to emerge. Among them,

Shaun Copland, and his 11-year-old son Brodie visiting from Texas.

Other members of their family survived. A friend said they were

heartbroken. A 20-year-old Russian student Victoria was out run by the

truck. Her friend Pauline was hospitalised. French officials say

the driver was a local man, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a French

Tunisian, known to the police for petty crimes. Today, the only

figures on Nice's empty seafront with forensics teams, picking their

way through the debris of grief. France was just beginning to feel

safe again after the attacks here last year. Safe enough even to come

out and celebrate being French. But as people ran screaming down this

street last night, the sound of gunfire mimicking fireworks, that

moment of national pride and national unity came once again an

individual race to survive. This man said he froze when he saw the lorry,

and then ran towards the beach. Above the screen is he heard the

lorry's engine just behind him. His path ahead blocked by a bench.

And then when I jumped over the bench I found myself that I had

jumped on a woman laying on the ground too. So I just closed my eyes

and waited for the crash, either to crash into me or survive. I was

feeling that I'm going to die, I was feeling really, really scared. I

didn't know what to do but I just gave up on that moment, until I saw

the bench breaking up, which was too loud and too scary, so I looked at

it and I found it destroyed. So it was really, really close. The thing

that was between me and the truck was a small bench.

The French President riding in Nice today described the attack as a

monstrosity. Of the 200 people injured, he said 50 were hovering

between life and death. TRANSLATION: We are facing a long battle, because

we have an enemy who will continue to hit all the peoples, all the

countries, who enjoy it liberty and have it as their essential value.

The flowers blooming on the barricades today marked a particular

kind of pain. The slow, mocking torture of French values. Attacks

that highlight the price of freedom. The failure of fraternity and the

brutal equaliser, death. Lucy Williamson, BBC News, Nice.

So, as we've been hearing, the truck travelled for more

than a mile ploughing into people, before police managed to get to him

Many here are asking how he was able to keep going for so long -

Our correspondent Jon Donnison examines how the truck was used -

It was supposed to be a night of celebration.

It ended in confusion, chaos and carnage.

The attack started at around 11pm local time,

as thousands of families strolled home after a night of fireworks.

The lorry was heading east along the Promenade des Anglais and picked

up speed on a rampage that was to last for more than a mile.

This time last night, the attacker was making his

It was about here that he turned his truck onto the Promenade des

Anglais, picked up speed, and began his rampage

Within minutes, the first casualties were reported.

The driver began to swerve from side to side trying to kill as many

He then careered into the pedestrian area.

Armed police opened fire but couldn't stop him as he continue

Armed police opened fire but couldn't stop him as he continued

Eyewitnesses say he was travelling at around 50 mph.

This is as close as we can now get to the route the attacker took.

You can see the Promenade des Anglais just beyond the famous

Hotel Negresco at the bottom of the street.

By this point, several minutes into the attack, he'd already killed

dozens of people and it was to be 300 or 400 more metres that way

before he was finally stopped and people fled for their lives.

Finally, further down the promenade using heavy fire, police managed

to stop the lorry and kill the driver as people fled in panic.

Matthew Schooler from Kingston upon Thames had been

on what was meant to be a dream holiday with his girlfriend.

Today he knows they are lucky to be alive.

There was a lady in front of us on a scooter with her

She wasn't trampled but people were running over her

People were picking up kids and running and the kids

People didn't really know what was going on.

This was not a high-tech attack, but the brutality and banality

of the method make it all the more terrifying.

Well, one of the British couples caught up in last night's mayhem

here was Paul and Rebecca Gordon from the Midlands.

They are here on holiday with their 18-month-old baby.

Our correspondent Tom Burridge has been speaking to them

Rebecca and Paul are on holiday in Nice with their 18-month-old

daughter, Eloisa-May, and they had walked along

the promenade back to their hotel just moments before the attack.

Because we are on the fourth floor, I could see pretty much

And I just turned to my left and I just saw the whole road

And he just accelerated at a faster speed than he had

I saw that the truck bounced, which must have been...

And I saw people being knocked like skittles.

You came running and said, "Look what's happened".

I came out and there were just people on the floor, just dead.

As parents, they can barely imagine what it's like for others.

There was a lot of families there, a lot of children, a lot

There was a lot of young lives lost, I think.

It is a time when you think about the important things in life.

There is fear and grief, but also things to reassure.

I have to say that coming out into Nice, I admire the people

here because everybody is just out in the street and getting

Tonight, the last night of the holiday, their hotel

But they know they were the lucky ones.

They saw, but survived, a night of horror in Nice.

Well, detectives have been examining every detail of the scene

here in Nice for evidence of the killer's

The police raided the flat in Nice where Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel was

living. Our security correspondent

Frank Gardner has on the A picture perfect promenade,

scarred by the horror French investigators have spent

much of the day piecing Fingerprints found in this lorry

confirmed its driver He lived alone in this

apartment building in Nice. Police forced their way in,

and a neighbour confirmed this Police investigators have taken away

anything that could throw a light on why Bouhlel would commit

such an abominable act. Another neighbour recalls his

behaviour as being odd. TRANSLATION: He looked

at us weirdly. If we arrived at the building

behind him, he would slam So, what do we know

about the attacker in Nice? Mohamed Bouhlel was

a 31-year-old delivery driver. He was Tunisian by birth,

he had three children He also had a police record

for petty crime and violence. TRANSLATION: He was known

by the police for violence and petty He was convicted in March

and sentenced by the court to six But there is nothing to suggest any

sign of radicalisation. At a separate address in Nice today,

police arrested a woman thought Friends and neighbours tried

to keep the media at bay. And in Tunisia, near the resort town

of Sousse, Mohamed Bouhlel's father has revealed that his

son was on medication TRANSLATION: We thought

he was doing well. He followed his treatment

but sometimes he would have nervous I think the problems with his wife

might have made things worse. Tonight, the instrument of so many

people's death and injury has been towed away,

but the unanswered questions remain. Why did this man commit mass murder

and was he driven by mental Around the world leaders have

condemned last night's attack. Theresa May said Britain must

redouble its efforts to defeat terrorism, while Barack Obama

speaking tonight said the attacks were a threat to the whole world.

Our diplomatic correspondent James Robbins has this report now on the

international reaction. La Marseillaise, the French national

anthem, at tonight's A packed Royal Albert Hall stood

to mourn the victims of Nice. If, as we fear, this

was a terrorist attack, then we must redouble our efforts

to defeat these brutal murderers We must work with France

and our partners around the world to stand up for our values

and for our freedom. I now invite council members to rise

to observe a minute of silence in tribute to the memory

of the victims. In New York, at the United Nations,

the Security Council chose silence to speak for the world,

remembering victims not only in France but also of recent

attacks in Bangladesh, And tonight, the most powerful

leader of all was not holding back, blaming IS or Isil for direct

or indirect responsibility. We are going to keep working

together to defend our homeland We are going to keep taking out Isil

leaders and pushing them We are going to keep standing

with our partners from Africa to Afghanistan,

and we are going to destroy this His Secretary of State, John Kerry,

and Russia's Foreign Minister, joined in honouring

the dead of Nice. They disagree on many issues,

but not the threat confronting Some leading Muslim scholars

expressed outrage at the attack. People who commit such ugly crimes

are corrupt and following the footsteps of Satan, cursed in this

life and the hereafter. While the Tunisian government

described: An act of extreme cowardice, we

express solidarity with France against the scourge of terrorism.

And at the French Embassy in London, powerful expressions

Over the past couple of years, the British have regularly been

grieving with the French, after so many attacks there.

And just a few hundred yards away, at the Albert Hall, France's anthem

resounded once again tonight, in a great British arena.

Well I'm joined live now by our Paris correspondent Lucy Williamson.

It is quite strange, being here, 24-hour is on, with security and

police everywhere, when last night the scene was so different,

thousands enjoying a firework display. It is hard to believe,

especially when you think of all the churches around here holding

services tonight, a vigil just over the road. There are Tuohy different

moods in Nice tonight. There is what you see here, forensics teams and

police, but a few streets away, the bars are pretty packed and the

streets are not empty. There is a feeling here of defiance, I think,

as well as fear. We saw that after the Paris attacks in November.

People came out quickly to the bars and showed they would not be afraid.

But underneath that, I think there is a new fear, a wariness, and

questions about how safe people feel, how far the government can

keep them safe. The deputy mayor is saying he hopes to open this road to

show defiance against terrorists. Having said that, we know the state

of emergency was due to come to an end soon and has now been extended.

Yes, the tragedy is that France was beginning to relax a little bit,

beginning to feel that with the European Championships passing off

peacefully, they could start to feel more confident about security. Just

a few days later, this happens, and with the state of emergency still in

place, with extra soldiers on the street, the government on high

alert. So the pressure is growing on President Hollande's government.

A quick reminder that you can catch up with all the latest

on our website, including the live page where we have the very latest

Now - for the moment - it's back to Reeta in the studio.

In another major story tonight, the Prime Minister of Turkey has

declared that an attempt at a military coup is

Binali Yildirim has appeared on Turkish television to say that

action was being taken by part of the military,

But one news agency has reported the Turkish military as saying

Earlier this evening there were reports of gunfire

in the capital, Ankara, and military jets and helicopters

There were also reports that in Istanbul, the entrances

The details of what is happening tonight in Turkey are not clear, the

pictures unverified, but there is little doubt there is a big military

presence on the streets of the two main cities. In a statement, the

Armed Forces said they had taken power to protect democratic order

and maintain human rights. They said the rule of law would be protected.

The media in Turkey is heavily controlled by the state, but

pictures have emerged on social media of unusual military activity

in Istanbul on bridges across the Bosporus. Roadblocks were set up,

stopping some traffic moving from the Asia to the European side. In

the night sky over Ankara, a low-flying military jet. Gunshots

were also reported. The Turkish Prime Minister, Binali Yildirim, who

had earlier spoken of support for France, said this evening that some

members of the military had been acting outside the chain of command.

He said those taking a legal action would pay the highest price. Nothing

has been heard so far from the Turkish President, seen here

recently at a Nato summit in Warsaw. He is reported to be on holiday in

the Turkish coastal resort of Bodrum. Turkey has been hit recently

by a string of bomb attacks in Ankara and Istanbul. Islamic

extremists were said to be to blame. The government responded by cracking

down on any opposition. Turkey is in a state of crisis tonight. Flights

from Istanbul's Ataturk airport have been cancelled, there are

restrictions on the internet, with many types of social media shutdown.

Our correspondent Katy Watson is in Istanbul.

What can you tell us about events across the country tonight?

It has all happened in the last hour and a half, and the events are no

clearer. We do know that the Prime Minister has said this looks like

some kind of an attempted takeover by part of the military. The

military have put out a statement saying this is an entire takeover,

and they have done it to restore democratic order and maintain human

rights and they will continue with international agreements. At the

moment, those are the two sides coming through. On the streets,

there has been commotion and traffic jams. Both sides of the bridges have

been closed. There have been aircraft here in Istanbul and in

Ankara. It is a muddy picture and no clearer exactly what has happened,

but certainly the military say they have taken over. Turkey is such a

major power. This has huge implications globally. Absolutely.

It is a member of Nato, a key ally in the Middle East. But Turkey has

been going through a lot of political instability, with bombings

recently at the airport in Istanbul, Ataturk airport. There was a feeling

that the military and government were working together to beat that.

Certainly people in Istanbul are shocked. People are glued to their

telephones, TVs and radio to find out what is going on. Certain people

here have no idea, and this really did come as a surprise. Many thanks.

Let's talk again to our diplomatic correspondent James Robbins.

Dramatic events. Why might this be happening now? I think it might be

happening because President Erdogan has made so many enemies within

Turkish society. He has made an enemy of many of the urban young. He

unleashed the power of the state against them three years ago to put

down popular protest. He has made enemies in the military, imprisoning

senior military officers who campaigned against what they see as

the undermining of democracy. The Army has regularly intervened in

modern Turkish history, since the establishment of the modern republic

almost a century ago by Ataturk, and it has done so to try to secure

secular democracy in Turkey. Secular, and therefore non-Islamic,

within the state, within the organs of the state. They think that

President Erdogan is an Islamist who has tried to reverse, for instance,

women's rights, tried to reintroduce Islamic law in Turkey to an

unacceptable level. Also, because they think he has suppressed

journalistic freedom, imprisoning journalists and closing newspapers.

There are many reasons why people in the military, who regard themselves

as the guarantors of liberty, feel they have been let down. That is not

to say that this coup will succeed, but I have been hearing in the last

few minutes that European Union sources are suggesting they think

this is a substantial coup which they believe probably will prevail.

Clearly, turmoil in Turkey but this will be of concern in capitals

around the world. It will be. Turkey is a Nato member with a huge

standing army, some 500,000 men and women under arms. It is regarded as

a crucial bull war on the edge of Europe and Asia, on the frontier of

those continents. It will be an immense concern because the ideal of

an unstable Turkey when so much of the Middle East is in turmoil will

terrify many leaders around the world. Thank you.

Theresa May has used her second full day as Prime Minister to visit

Scotland, for a meeting with the First Minister,

They discussed the future of the union as well as the fallout

Mrs May said she was willing to "listen to options"

on Scotland's future relationship with the European Union.

Our Scotland Editor, Sarah Smith, reports now.

Theresa May's first mission as the new Prime Minister

of the United Kingdom is to try to keep

And that means coming to visit a First Minister who would

dearly love to take Scotland out of the union.

The symbolism of this meeting is important,

Theresa May demonstrating how much she cares about Scotland

Talk about Brexit negotiations and Scotland's

Now, Mrs May has to take the UK out while Ms Sturgeon tries to keep

They did agree the Scottish can explore different options

and Nicola Sturgeon did bring up the prospect

It may be that if we want to protect our relationship

with the European Union then Scotland will have to consider

becoming an independent member of the European Union.

But I've also said I want to consider all options along the way.

The Prime Minister has said this process will be open

to considering options that we bring forward.

Nicola Sturgeon says she has a lot in common

with Theresa May, apart from their politics, of course.

And their views on whether Scotland should vote again

If the Scottish parliament were to vote for another

independence referendum, would you allow them to hold it?

Well, I think the question is, should there be another referendum?

As far as I am concerned, the Scottish people had their vote.

They voted in 2014 and a very clear message came through,

both the United Kingdom and Scottish Government said

Some people hope Brexit makes independence more likely.

Others want to see if this new Prime Minister can

try to satisfy the 62% of Scots who voted to stay in the EU.

It is good she came up to see us first instead of going abroad.

I am not even a fan but it is good that she came to see us.

It could be a show of solidarity with Scotland.

Or it could be a kind of power game to make her presence felt

I think she's just trying to sweeten us, trying to keep us all together,

Theresa May says Scotland can explore different options

But the idea of Scotland trying to stay in both the UK and the EU?

One of her ministers today said that is just fanciful.

Sarah Smith, BBC News, Edinburgh.

Let's return to our main story, the events of last night in Nice.

Today, the French government declared three days of national

mourning, starting tomorrow, in light of the Nice attack.

This is the third major terror attack on French soil,

after that on the Charlie Hebdo offices in January last

year, and the Bataclan attacks of November.

So why is France in particular being targeted, and can it ever do

John Simpson examines the unique security

In Nice Cathedral, the nation which now feels more threatened

than any other in the West commemorated its dead today.

In the last 18 months, more than 330 people have died

A state of emergency which was imposed in November

President Hollande wanted to lift it, and then last

The Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, insisted tonight there had been no

Already, though, the opposition senses real weakness

A series of hammer blows have shaken this country to the core.

In January last year, the assault on the offices in Paris

of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, 17 killed.

Then, last November, also in Paris, the concentrated attacks

at the Bataclan concert hall and several other places nearby.

The Bataclan remains closed down, silent.

If you peer through the hoardings, you can still see some

This is a real moment of crisis for France,

a moment when it is being brought face-to-face with a new

reality, and with the way it is being governed.

In other words, its identity and its core values, liberty,

They are all being, in one way or another,

The street around the Bataclan is pretty empty.

On a summer's day like this, they would usually be jam-packed.

People I spoke to were shocked by the new disaster in Nice

These kind of attacks are just becoming completely normal.

Every six months we have something happen.

It looks as though President Hollande will pay a heavy political

When he arrived in Nice, people booed his motorcade.

A leading centre-right opposition figure claimed the Nice atrocity had

Just last week, a security commission made several proposals

which President Hollande decided not to take up.

France is reacting with defiance to the latest atrocity.

But even before the Nice attack, President Hollande's popularity

And it is only human nature to want a scapegoat.

This is a major tourist destination, at the height of summer. There were

many tourists here, people enjoying the fireworks last night. Among

those were Simon and his wife Amanda. Thank you for being with us.

Take us through what you saw. We had just been to the firework display

along the promenade. It ended and we decided to cycle home. We got

separated in the crowds and I went on ahead. I thought I was ahead. I

decided to press on and meet up with Amanda along the way. And I saw a

large white van man, a lorry, careering down the pedestrian side

of the promenade. At first, I thought the driver was out of

control because it was veering from side to side. Then I heard some

screams, even at a distance of about 200 yards. Gradually, it closed and

I realised the driver was deliberately hitting people and I

could hear the sound of him hitting people with his ban, with his lorry.

As it approached, I realised it was coming straight for us. I was with a

couple, an older man and a young boy of about ten. They separated and the

driver named for the young boy. He managed to jump clear and came

towards me. I think it passed me by six feet away. Him, a matter of an

inch. He was ever so lucky not to be killed. I realised the lorry was

heading straight for where my wife was coming, so I turned around and

followed. It was just a Trail of devastation. I was checking the

injured to see if it was my wife, Amanda. And I must have seen four or

5000 dead people in various, who died in various ways. -- four or

five dead people. Most of them had been dragged under the lorry. I was

looking for her bike, or her shoes, or something I could recognise.

Eventually, I followed the lorry to where it had stopped. A shoot out

had obviously taken place. There was a French police man with his gun

aimed at the passenger door. Your thoughts now? It is unbelievable.

What took place here last night was wickedness, absolute wickedness.

That is why we have come forward to speak about it, because people need

to know what we are dealing with. Somebody used families as skittles,

deliberately drove into them, crushed them. People need to

understand that what motivates people to do that is unacceptable.

Simon and Amanda, thank you very much for joining us.

Well, that's it from Nice, 24 hours on from the terrible events

which took place on what should have been a day of celebration.

We have pictures of a vigil here in Nice, in memory of those who died.

We know that the President will be holding a meeting of his security

cabinet in the morning, as he comes under increasing pressure to try and

bring the bloodshed to an end. There is plenty more on this story and the

events unfolding