Almost a year after having testified at the trial of the attacks of November 13, 2015, the former President of the Republic François Hollande (2012-2017) was called to testify Monday, October 10 before the special assize court of Paris within the framework of the Nice attack trial. He assured that“there was no relaxation” in the State’s strategy to combat the terrorist threat, before the attack that took place on July 14, 2016.
On National Day that year, an assailant driving a 19-tonne truck deliberately targeted the crowd gathered on the Promenade des Anglais for the traditional fireworks display, killing 86 people and causing more than 450 injured. The trial of the attack was opened on September 5.
While several civil party lawyers questioned the former head of state on Monday about a possible relaxation of state security vigilance after the Euro 2016 football tournament, which had just ended on July 10, Mr Hollande assured that “all forces on the ground have been maintained” and the vigilance instructions to the municipalities reiterated on the occasion of the July 14 festivities.
“All forces on the ground” and “instructions” maintained
“On July 11, 2016, all the prefects met at the Ministry of the Interior and I told them: ‘Euro 2016 is over, but the terrorist threat is still present'”said former interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve (2014-2016), who spoke at the helm after François Hollande.
The more visible device for this sporting event is explained by the fact that “the two demonstrations were not of the same nature”defended the one who then occupied Place Beauvau, because, unlike July 14, systematic searches were carried out at the entrance to the fan-zones during the European football championship.
“We could have canceled all local parties, asked that all planned July 14 be postponed. (…) But we considered who should have “show that we want to live, while taking protective measures”also argued François Hollande during his time at the helm.
The former President of the Republic added that the author of the Nice attack, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, “was not looked at by the services [de renseignement] as being capable” of a passage to the terrorist act and that there was therefore no “no elements to proceed to a house arrest” administrative et “prevent heinous crime”. “We had no reports of an individual likely to take action” on this occasion, confirmed Bernard Cazeneuve.
The municipal security system in question
Citing a report from the general inspectorate of the national police, the former interior minister added that 64 national police officers were mobilized on the Promenade des Anglais that evening, out of the 107 mobilized for all the events of 14- July in the city and the 197 throughout the constituency. These numbers are “20% higher than the workforce mobilized the previous year”he added.
François Hollande, who was at the Avignon festival on the evening of the incident, denied that CRS or mobile gendarmes had been specifically assigned to his security, to the detriment of other events organized that evening in the region.
Regarding the failing security of the event, Mr. Hollande also launched: “Did we have the means to ensure the security of July 14? The answer of the prefect and the mayor of Nice was “yes””pointing out that it was at this level that the mechanism to be put in place was decided in detail.
The current mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, as well as the one who held his office during the events – Philippe Pradal (2016-2017) – when he sat in the National Assembly, will be heard on October 20 before the Assize Court . A judicial investigation has also been open since 2017 on the security system put in place that evening.