It was 10 years ago to the day. On Thursday, July 14, 2016, tens of thousands of people gathered on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. Local families, French vacationers, foreign tourists, and many children came to watch the Bastille Day fireworks. The seaside promenade was largely reserved for pedestrians. Barriers and police vehicles marked off the area closed to traffic. France was then under a state of emergency, declared after the November 13, 2015 attacks. The European Football Championship had ended four days earlier. Bastille Day celebrations were still held throughout the country, with heightened security measures. In Nice, the fireworks began around 14:22 p.m. and ended around 22:20 p.m.
After the grand finale, the crowd slowly disperses. Some spectators head back towards the city center. Others continue walking along the promenade or remain near the beaches. Parents hold their children's hands. The candy and food stalls remain open. The sidewalks are still particularly crowded.
A 19-ton truck prepared several days beforehand
The man who would carry out the attack was named Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel. Aged 31, a Tunisian national residing in Nice, he worked primarily as a delivery driver. He was not known to intelligence services for radicalization. However, he had been convicted a few months earlier in a traffic violation.
On July 11, three days before the attack, he rented a white 19-ton delivery truck from an agency located in Saint-Laurent-du-Var. The vehicle was due to be returned on July 13. He did not return it.
CCTV footage reviewed during the investigation shows that the truck repeatedly drove along the Promenade des Anglais in the days leading up to the attack. Eleven such trips were recorded. On several occasions, the driver mounted the sidewalk, maneuvered near the seafront, and observed the area. These movements allowed investigators to identify the route, access points, obstacles, and the location of the barriers set up for the national holiday.
On July 14, the truck was parked west of Nice. Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel reached the vehicle by bicycle, placed it on the back of the truck, and then took the wheel. His phone, his movements, and the video recordings later allowed investigators to reconstruct a plan that had been in place for several days.
22:33 PM: The truck emerges near Lenval Hospital
At 22:33 p.m., a municipal camera filmed the white truck as it entered the Promenade des Anglais in the Magnan area, near the Lenval children's hospital. It was traveling from west to east, towards the center of Nice.
In the first few seconds, some people might still believe it's a traffic error or a delivery vehicle that inadvertently entered the promenade. This hypothesis disappears almost immediately. The truck accelerates and deliberately heads towards the pedestrians.
The vehicle mounted the sidewalk on the sea side. It struck the first people in its path. The driver made no attempt to brake or correct his trajectory. On the contrary, he changed direction to hit the groups gathered in front of him.
The race began in a section of the promenade where the crowd was less dense than in the city center. The truck quickly picked up speed. According to the investigation and several witness statements, it reached speeds of nearly 80 to 90 km/h at times.
The Gambetta dam has been crossed
About 400 meters after entering the promenade, the truck approaches the intersection with Boulevard Gambetta. A barrier marks the beginning of the section reserved entirely for pedestrians. It consists of a municipal police vehicle, mobile barriers, and lane dividers. Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel does not stop. He drives onto the sidewalk to bypass the barrier and enters the area where the concentration of spectators is much higher.
From this point onward, CCTV footage shows a vehicle repeatedly veering between the road and the sidewalk. The truck is not traveling in a straight line. The driver steers the truck toward groups of people, changes lanes, returns to the seafront, and then heads back toward the center of the road.
Witnesses realize an attack is underway. Hundreds of people begin to run. Some head down to the beach. Others seek refuge behind palm trees, kiosks, terraces, or in hotels. Parents try to lift their children and move them away from the truck's path. Several people fall in the panic. The truck's advance leaves victims scattered for nearly two kilometers. Families are separated. Phones and personal belongings are abandoned on the road. Survivors stop to help the injured as the truck continues on its way.
Passersby try to stop the truck
During the chase, several people tried to slow down or stop the truck. Alexandre Niguès, who was riding a bicycle, approached the vehicle and tried to reach the cab. He took considerable risks as the truck continued forward through the pedestrians. Another man, Franck Terrier, gave chase on his scooter. He rode through the fleeing crowds and among the victims lying on the road. When he reached the cab, he abandoned his scooter, climbed onto the running board, and struck the driver.
Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel was holding a handgun. He struck Franck Terrier with it, then fired in his direction as he fell from the truck. The bullet missed. A police car also tried to reach the truck, but the density of the crowd and the movement of fleeing people made the pursuit extremely difficult. Officers positioned further along the promenade saw the panicked spectators approaching before they spotted the truck.
The truck slows down near the Negresco
As it approached the Negresco Hotel and the Palazzo della Mediterranea, the truck struck a pergola and several other obstacles. Its speed decreased, but the vehicle started moving again. The driver continued to aim at the people in front of him, often with their backs turned and still unaware of what was happening.
At 22:35:46 PM, the truck stalled. It was near the Palais de la Méditerranée, having traveled approximately 1,7 kilometers from entering the promenade. Officers from Nice's specialized field unit approached the truck. The assailant fired several shots from the cab. The window shattered in the exchange of gunfire. The officers returned fire with their service weapons. The shooting continued for over a minute. The officers ceased firing when they realized the driver was no longer moving. Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel was dead in the cab. From the start of the chase to its neutralization, the attack lasted approximately four minutes and seventeen seconds.
A real weapon and several fake objects in the cabin
When law enforcement secured the truck, they discovered the handgun used against the officers. Other objects resembling weapons were also found in the vehicle. Several turned out to be fake. Police still do not know if the man acted alone, if other assailants are in the city, or if explosives were placed in the truck. The area is therefore being treated as a potential terrorist attack scene with other possible dangers.
Rumors of shootings, hostage situations, and armed accomplices circulated in Nice. Police searched the surrounding areas, inspected hotels, and secured nearby streets. Some residents remained confined to restaurants, nightclubs, building lobbies, and hotel rooms. The immediate threat, however, had passed. No second assailant was found on the Promenade des Anglais. The investigation would later establish that Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel was driving the truck alone during the attack.
A crime scene nearly two kilometers long
As soon as the truck came to a stop, police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and rescue workers discovered an area of exceptional scale. The victims were spread over nearly two kilometers, from the Lenval district to the vicinity of the Palais de la Méditerranée. Emergency calls multiplied. First responders had to simultaneously verify that the area was secure, locate the victims, assess the severity of their injuries, and organize evacuations. Many healthcare professionals among the spectators spontaneously began providing first aid. Residents and tourists used clothing, towels, and equipment available in shops to protect the injured. Some moved tables and chairs to create treatment areas. Others guided the rescue teams or stayed with isolated individuals.
The prefect activates the ORSEC-NOVI plan, designed for events causing a large number of casualties. The Nice University Hospital activates its emergency plan. Medical reinforcements are called in. Operating rooms and emergency departments prepare to receive a massive influx of patients.
The Negresco and several other establishments transformed into first aid stations
The Negresco Hotel became one of the main makeshift treatment centers. Its lobby and common areas housed the wounded, survivors, and medical personnel. The High Club, located on the promenade, also served as a gathering and triage center for victims. The Palais de la Méditerranée housed a command post.
Ambulances are evacuating the injured to several hospitals in Nice and the Alpes-Maritimes region. The most serious cases are being taken to intensive care and surgery. Victims are sometimes transported without their identities being known, which complicates the search efforts undertaken by their families.
Throughout the night, relatives searched hospitals, called emergency services, and posted missing person notices on social media. Authorities had to identify the deceased, cross-reference missing person reports, and inform families. The Promenade des Anglais remained closed. Investigators photographed the roadway, numbered clues, collected phones and abandoned items, and then reviewed footage from dozens of city security cameras.
86 dead and 458 injured
The death toll rose with each passing hour and week. Eighty-six people died as a result of the attack. Some were killed instantly. Others later succumbed to their injuries.
Children and teenagers were among the victims. Fifteen minors lost their lives. Entire families were affected. The dead were of many nationalities, reflecting the diverse population present that evening in the tourist town.
The official number of injured was finally set at 458. This figure includes people suffering from physical injuries of varying severity. It does not account for the much higher number of witnesses, relatives, and first responders who were left with lasting psychological trauma.
Police Commissioner Emmanuel Grout, deputy departmental director of the Border Police in the Alpes-Maritimes, was among those killed. He was watching the fireworks display when he was struck.
The investigation reconstructs the terrorist's final days.
In the hours that followed, investigators identified Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel thanks to documents found in the truck and checks carried out with the rental agency. His home was searched. His estranged wife and several people in his circle were taken into custody.
Analysis of his phone and computer revealed that he had accessed extremely violent content, jihadist propaganda videos, and news reports about terrorist attacks. Investigators also found evidence of his reconnaissance and efforts to acquire a weapon.
His profile does not fit that of a long-time religious activist. He consumes alcohol and drugs and does not regularly practice his religion. Those close to him describe him as violent, unstable, and unpredictable. However, the investigation has established a recent consumption of terrorist propaganda and concrete preparations for the attack.
On July 16, 2016, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack through its propaganda agency, presenting Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel as one of its soldiers. However, the investigation found no evidence of an order issued directly by the organization. The claim was deemed opportunistic, as the Islamic State appropriated the attack after it had already been carried out.
The terrorist's relationships examined for years
The investigation then sought to determine whether any relatives knew of his plan or had helped him. Several people are being prosecuted for their involvement in the search for weapons, the arrangements surrounding the truck rental, or communications that could reveal knowledge of his intentions. No defendant is presented as having driven the truck or physically participated in the attack. The legal case focuses on the material and ideological support that Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel allegedly received before July 14.
The trial opened on September 5, 2022, before the special assize court in Paris. Eight defendants appeared. The perpetrator of the attack, who died in the truck, could not be held accountable for his actions. For more than three months, the court examined his final months, his relationships, his messages, his reconnaissance, and the potential responsibility of those around him.
On December 13, 2022, the eight defendants were sentenced to prison terms ranging from two to eighteen years. Mohamed Ghraieb and Chokri Chafroud, found guilty of terrorist conspiracy, received the harshest sentences. They appealed. In June 2024, the special assize court again sentenced them to eighteen years' imprisonment, with a two-thirds minimum term.
Ten years later, the Promenade des Anglais remains a place of remembrance
July 14, 2026, marks the tenth anniversary of the attack. The names of the 86 people killed remain central to the ceremonies held in Nice. The memorial in the garden of the Villa Masséna and the Angel of the Bay, placed near where the truck came to a stop, serve as a place for tributes from families and authorities.
In Nice, the traditional July 14th fireworks display was replaced by a luminous tribute: 86 beams were projected over the sea, one for each person killed.
