French President Francois Hollande announced that he will extend the state of emergency [7] for another three months in light of the Nice attack—just hours after saying he would lift it. Both Hollande's earlier Paris announcement that he would lift the emergency provisions and the Nice attack came amid official Bastille Day celebrations. Speaking to a crowd on the Champs-Elysées, Hollande said that the state of emergency—in place since November's Paris attacks [8]— would not extend beyond July 26: "We can't prolong the state of emergency forever. That would make no sense, it would mean that we were no longer a republic with laws which can apply in all circumstances." The state of emergency was extended three times by parliament—most recently to boost security through the Euro-2016 soccer match.
In the Nice attack, a truck charged into throngs along the Mediterranean city's seaside Promenade des Anglais following a fireworks display. The driver then got out of the vehicle and fired on the crowd before being brought down by police. Firearms, explosives, and grenades were found inside the truck. The death toll currently stands at 80. The attack appears so far to be the work of a lone assailant, but ISIS has issued a call [9] for its followers in France to carry out such assualts with vehicles. (Mediaite [10], France24 [11], Reuters [12])