Five Detained In Nice Attacks, France To Extend State Of Emergency For Six Months

Five people have been detained in connection with the massacre that took place last week in Nice, and they are expected to appear before a judge on Thursday. France is preparing to pass a law that extends the state of emergency for six months in response to the event that claimed over 80 lives.

.@BGEA chaplains are in Nice, France praying & comforting the grieving community after the #NiceAttacks. pic.twitter.com/xlsBVDWUUm

— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) July 20, 2016

It was the country’s third major, deadly attack in the span of 18 months. In the latest terror attack, the killer and his alleged accomplices took innocent lives when the lorry he was driving tore through the crowd gathered to celebrate Bastille Day.

One woman and four men will appear before the court on Thursday due to their links to the Tunisian man who barreled a truck into the crowded center last week. The man went by the name of Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel.

Of the five detained suspects, the 40-year-old man is said to have known Bouhlel for years, while a 38-year-old man and his girlfriend were detained on the suspicion that they sold the attacker an automatic weapon.

In addition, a 22-year-old man was detained due to having received an SMS from Bouhlel just after he began to plow through the streets of Nice, and he will also appear in court. Another man will appear for his contact with the attacker on the subject of weapons. Prior to the attack, none of the five who have been detained were known to the various French intelligence agencies.

The Senate and France’s National Assembly are both preparing to pass a bill that extends the state of emergency in the nation. The law gives police extra freedom to carry out various raids and searches, as well as allowing officials to place people under house arrest. Once passed, the bill will extend the state of emergency for another six months.

This marks the fourth time that the measures have been extended since last November, when Islamic terrorists attacked Paris, killing 130 people at various locations in the city, including restaurants, a concert hall, and a national stadium,

Wednesday resulted in a vote by Members of Parliament that would allow authorities to search luggage and vehicles without approval and will also allow them to obtain data from devices such as computers and cellular phones.

The new laws passed also allow authorities to quickly shut down religious places of worship, as the Associated French Press states, “where calls for violence and hate are made.”

Although the Islamic State admits that the Tunisian driver, responsible for last week’s attack on Nice, was one of its soldiers, further investigation has not resulted in any evidence that shows the man acted on behalf of the extremist group, regardless of his interest in jihadist activity.

Further threatening videos have been recently posted by the Islamic terrorist group, and they were apparently filmed in Iraq. Within the videos, two French-speaking jihadists indicate that France should be prepared for more attacks.

Manuel Valls, French Prime Minister, has warned that the country will face more attacks as they attempt to deal with the jihadists who return from the Middle East, as well as those who have been swayed by Islamic State propaganda and have been radicalized in France. The constant propaganda from ISIL is shared by the way of the web, and it has caused an increase in terrorist recruitment in secular Western nations, such as France.

France can expect more attacks like the one in Nice: https://t.co/6wI4WKbKVU pic.twitter.com/0YGs3KD1ZV

— Slate (@Slate) July 16, 2016

Words shared by President Francois Hollande, who has been under attack recently by critics and nationalist politicians, indicate that the French government is preparing for persistent threats and terror.

“We can say that France, with you, is forming a National Guard.”

The reserve force for the nation is comprised of civilian volunteers who can be deployed for missions. These volunteers are present within the police force, the army, and the paramilitary police. The French government stands by its actions against constant terrorist threats and intends to pass new anti-terror laws, in addition to manning the streets with thousands of troops to protect the citizens of France and the millions of tourists who visit annually.

[Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images]