Knights & Dames: Scott Lonergan -> Sir Scott, First Knight of the North Pole, Sean Fincham -> Sir Finch Nasty, Shayne Rozdilsky -> Sir Shayne Rozdilsky
HEAT STREET EXCLUSIVE '' A French government committee has heard testimony, suppressed by the French government at the time and not published online until this week, that the killers in the Bataclan appear to have tortured their victims on the second floor of the club.
The chief police witness in Parliament testified that on the night of the attacks, an investigating officer, tears streaming down his face, rushed out of the Bataclan and vomited in front of him just after seeing the disfigured bodies.
The 14-hour testimony about the November attacks took place March 21st.
According to this testimony, Wahhabist killers reportedly gouged out eyes, castrated victims, and shoved their testicles in their mouths. They may also have disemboweled some poor souls. Women were reportedly stabbed in the genitals '' and the torture was, victims told police, filmed for Daesh or Islamic State propaganda. For that reason, medics did not release the bodies of torture victims to the families, investigators said.
But prosecutors at the hearing claimed these reports of torture were ''a rumor'' on the grounds that sharp knives were not found at the scene. They also claimed that maybe shrapnel had caused the injuries.
Q. For the information of the Commission of Inquiry'....can you tell us how you learned that there had been acts of barbarism within the Bataclan: beheadings, evisceration, eyes gouged out '...?
Investigator: After the assault, we were with colleagues at the passage Saint-Pierre Amelot when I saw weeping from one of our colleagues who came outside to vomit. He told us what he had seen.
Q. Acts of torture happened on the second floor?
Further on the investigator described how this was kept from relatives:
A. Bodies have not been presented to families because there were beheaded people there, the murdered people, people who have been disemboweled . There are women who had their genitals stabbed.
Q. All this would have been videotaped for Daesh !
A. I believe so. Survivors have said so.
Elsewhere, the investigator says, women were sexually tortured, stabbed in the genitals, and their eyes were plucked out. People were decapitated.
The clerk of the inquiry (or ''rapporteur'') pressed the chief of committee for clarity on whether victims were decapitated or mutilated. The committee chief replied that the authorities had given out conflicting information that said victims were merely shot or blown up. He then heatadded this damning statement about one victim's father discovering the gruesome truth in the morgue:
Mr. President Georges Fenech Indeed, the Committee is troubled by this information which has appeared nowhere [in the media]. Thus, the father of one of the victims sent me a copy of a letter he sent to the investigating judge, which I quote in summary: ''On the causes of the death of my son A., at the forensic institute in Paris, I was told, and what a shock it was for me at that moment, they had cut off his testicles, had put them in his mouth, and he was disemboweled. When I saw him behind glass, lying on a table, a white shroud covering it up to the neck, a psychologist was with me. He said: This is ''the only presentable part, your son's left profile.'' I found that he had no right eye. I made the remark; I was informed that they had punctured his eye and sliced down the right side of his face, where there was a very large hematoma that we could all see. ''
This particular witness could corroborate the statements that we heard from one of the BAC officials, that one of his investigators vomited immediately on leaving the Bataclan after finding a decapitation and evisceration. Are you aware of such facts?
A prosecutor appearing before the inquiry replied lamely that no sharp knife had been found at the scene that could have been used for torture. Perhaps shrapnel had caused the mutilation, he said. The head of the committee asked if an explosion would have placed testicles in a victim's mouth:
Prosecutor: I specify, for the sake of clarity: some of the bodies found at the Bataclan were extremely mutilated by the explosions and weapons, to the point that it was sometimes difficult to reconstruct the dismembered bodies. In other words, injuries described this father may also have been caused by automatic weapons, by explosions or projections of nails and bolts that have resulted.
Q. Would those have put a man's balls in in his own mouth?
Prosecutor: I do not have that information.
The news follows reports that German police sat on the huge number of sexual assaults committed by Islamist migrants in Cologne, which a secret report estimated at thousands, not hundreds. Heat Street will continue to report.
MoreNice Attack: French Prime Minister Says 'Learn to Live' With Terrorism '' After 84 DieThe Latest on the Murder of The DNC's Seth Rich As Conspiracy Theories Continue To Smolder
France 'SUPPRESSED NEWS OF GRUESOME TORTURE' at Bataclan JIHAD Massacre: gouged out eyes, castrated victims, shoved testicles in their mouths, some disemboweled, Women stabbed in genitals | Pamela Geller
Again we ask, why are Western elites protecting the savage barbarians who are committing unspeakable acts of violence and torture in the cause of Allah?
Why scrub the evil from the evildoers? When is it going to stop? When are rational, civilized, freedom-loving peoples going to break the chains of the leftist/Islamic axis of evil?
People are woefully disarmed in the information battle-space, thanks to the left's choke hold on media, academia, and culture. When Jesse Hughes, leader of the band Eagles of Death Metal, who was playing at the Bataclan the night of the monstrous jihad attack in Paris, spoke out about what he saw, he was demonized, marginalized and had gigs canceled. That is the world of those of us who speak up against jihad terror and sharia.
''EXCLUSIVE: France 'Suppressed News of Gruesome Torture' at Bataclan Massacre,'' By Louise Mensch | Heatstreet, 10:50 am, July 15, 2016
HEAT STREET EXCLUSIVE '' A French government committee has heard testimony, suppressed by the French government at the time and not released to the media, that the killers in the Bataclan tortured their victims on the second floor of the club.
Police witnesses in Parliament said they vomited when they saw the disfigured bodies.
Wahhabist killers apparently gouged out eyes, castrated victims, and shoved their testicles in their mouths. They may also have disemboweled some poor souls. Women were stabbed in the genitals '' and all the torture was, victims told police, filmed for Daesh or Islamic State propaganda. For that reason, medics did not release the bodies of torture victims to the families, investigators said.
But prosecutors claimed these reports of torture were ''a rumor'' on the grounds that sharp knives were not found at the scene. They also claimed that maybe shrapnel had caused the injuries.
Q. For the information of the Commission of Inquiry'....can you tell us how you learned that there had been acts of barbarism within the Bataclan: beheadings, evisceration, eyes gouged out '...?
Investigator: After the assault, we were with colleagues at the passage Saint-Pierre Amelot when I saw weeping from one of our colleagues who came outside to vomit. He told us what he had seen.
Q. Acts of torture happened on the second floor?
Further on the investigator described how this was kept from relatives:
A. Bodies have not been presented to families because there were beheaded people there, the murdered people, people who have been disembowelled . There are women who had their genitals stabbed.
Q. All this would have been videotaped for Daesh !
A. I believe so. Survivors have said so.
Elsewhere the investigator says women were sexually tortured, stabbed in the genitals, and their eyes were plucked out. People were decapitated.
The committee chief pressed the investigator on whether victims were decapitated or mutilated. He stated that the authorities had given out conflicting information that said victims were merely shot or blown up. The President of the Committee replied with this damning statement about one victim's father discovering the gruesome truth in the morgue:
Mr. President Georges Fenech Indeed, the Committee is troubled by this information which has appeared nowhere [in the media]. Thus, the father of one of the victims sent me a copy of a letter he sent to the investigating judge, which I quote in summary: ''On the causes of the death of my son A., at the forensic institute in Paris, I was told, and what a shock it was for me at that moment, they had cut off his testicles, had put them in his mouth, and he was disemboweled. When I saw him behind glass, lying on a table, a white shroud covering it up to the neck, a psychologist was with me. He said: This is ''the only presentable part, your son's left profile.'' I found that he had no right eye. I made the remark; I was informed that they had punctured his eye and sliced down the right side of his face, where there was a very large hematoma that we could all see. ''
This particular witness could corroborate the statements that we heard from one of the BAC officials, that one of his investigators vomited immediately on leaving the Bataclan after finding a decapitation and evisceration. Are you aware of such facts?
The prosecutor replied lamely that no sharp knife had been found at the scene that could have been used for torture. Perhaps shrapnel had caused the mutilation, he said. The head of the committee asked if an explosion would have placed testicles in a victim's mouth:
Prosecutor: I specify, for the sake of clarity: some of the bodies found at the Bataclan were extremely mutilated by the explosions and weapons, to the point that it was sometimes difficult to reconstruct the dismembered bodies. In other words, injuries described this father may also have been caused by automatic weapons, by explosions or projections of nails and bolts that have resulted.
Q. Would those have put a man's balls in in his own mouth?
Prosecutor: I do not have that information.
The news follows reports that German police sat on the huge number of sexual assaults committed by Islamist migrants in Cologne, which a secret report estimated at thousands, not hundreds. Heat Street will continue to report.
[5:17 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: More than 39 killed
[5:19 PM, 7/14/2016] Adam Curry: Yeah, watching on BBC. That video is fucked up.
[5:19 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: According to my sources 3 or 4 attacks going on right now
[5:20 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: They copied this attack from the Palestinians
[5:21 PM, 7/14/2016] Adam Curry: I'm thinking the truck was supposed to explode?
[5:21 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: Maybe but it is full of bullet holes because the police killed the driver
[5:22 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: And when it is full of explosives one of those bullets would have caused it to explode
[5:22 PM, 7/14/2016] Adam Curry: Palestinians also used trucks this way?
[5:24 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: Mainly cars
[5:35 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: They ,the EU asholes in brussels, fucked to not take retina scans, finger prints and facial recognition photo's of all "refugees"
[5:35 PM, 7/14/2016] Adam Curry: "Migrants"
[5:36 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: Flynn warned for this crap
[5:36 PM, 7/14/2016] Adam Curry: Yup
[5:37 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: He was the one who came up with the plan to fingerprint anyone the US Army "met" in Afghanistan
[5:37 PM, 7/14/2016] Adam Curry: Too late now
[5:37 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: So they could track the IED makers
[5:40 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: Guess how refugees get their monthly payments in Jordan?
[5:40 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: Retina scan and fully automated.
[5:40 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: Sort of an ATM with retina scan
[5:41 PM, 7/14/2016] Adam Curry: Slave system
[5:41 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: Yes but it works
[5:41 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: Debit cards can be handed over to othets
[5:41 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: Others
[5:42 PM, 7/14/2016] Adam Curry: Ah. Yes.
[5:42 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: If you have gangs in refugee camps they could force someone to handover debit card
[5:43 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: Next threat is gay pride in Berlin and amsterdam
[5:43 PM, 7/14/2016] Adam Curry: Oh man.
[5:44 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: Keep an eye out for July 23
[5:45 PM, 7/14/2016] Adam Curry: Is that Berlin?
[5:45 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: This year Berlin and amsterdam on same day
[5:45 PM, 7/14/2016] Adam Curry: Ugh
[5:46 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: Berlin is the easier target
[5:46 PM, 7/14/2016] Adam Curry: I always say, if you want to get people's attention, start killing gays.
[5:47 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: Yep
[5:48 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: Berlin location is 2X 6 lanes road on the Strasser der 17 june that starts at Brandenburger gate
[5:49 PM, 7/14/2016] Adam Curry: But canal boats would be more spectacular
[5:50 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: Canals is a tactical problem for them to do something
[5:50 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: Berlin is one road
[5:50 PM, 7/14/2016] Adam Curry: Roger
[5:52 PM, 7/14/2016] Adam Curry: Yeah. Sitting ducks.
[5:53 PM, 7/14/2016] Agent Orange: 600 thousand people
News Blackout Descends After Eiffel Tower Attack Begins Horrific Terror Onslaught In France
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July 15, 2016
News Blackout Descends After Eiffel Tower Attack Begins Horrific Terror Onslaught In France
By:Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers
A new Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) report circulating in the Kremlin today says that a combined US-EU news blackout has been imposed just hours after French President Fran§ois Hollande announced his intention, during his nations Bastille Day commemoration, to redeploy the Charles de Gaulle (R91) aircraft carrier to join the Federations battle against Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/Daesh) terrorists operating in the Levant War Zone'--and that resulted in the globally iconic Eiffel Tower, in Paris, coming within ''mere seconds'' of its being destroyed, while a further ''onslaught'' by Islamic ''barbarians'' against France killed at least 80 of its innocent citizens.[Note: Some words and/or phrases appearing in quotes are English language approximations of Russian words/phrases having no exact counterpart.]
According to this report, SVR intelligence analysts received an ''urgent consultation'' request from France's General Directorate for External Security (DGSE) on Wednesday evening (13 July) relating a joint counter intelligence surveillance operation they were conducting with Belgium's State Security Service (VSSE) against a suspected Islamic terrorist cell operating in Brussels.
The DGSE reported to their SVR counterparts, this report continues, that while this suspected Islamic State terror cell was under VSSE surveillance, and without warning, the vehicles believed to be used by them exploded'--but with the terror suspects themselves having ''disappeared/vanished''.
As per the intelligence sharing protocols established between the Federation and France against Islamic State terrorists agreed to by President Putin and President Hollande on 26 November 2015 in Moscow, this report notes, the SVR upon receiving the information about the Brussels ''event/incident'' from the DGSE established a joint working group with them to track these terror suspects.
Though the exact tracking methods employed by the SVR and DGSE to find these terrorists are more classified then this general report allows, it does, however, state that the nationalities of some of its members were established to be of duel Tunisian and French citizenship.
Most concerning to the SVR, though, this report continues, is that yesterday, 14 July, and while this joint investigation with the DGSE was ongoing, President Hollande not only publically stated his intention to redeploy the Charles de Gaulle (R91) aircraft carrier to fight against the Islamic State, he further notified his nation that their State of Emergency would be lifted on 26 July.
Having no control over how France, or any other nation for that fact, decides upon its own internal security, this report says, SVR intelligence analysts concluded that President Hollande's statements were at best ''very ill timed'', and at their worst, a direct ''prodding/poking'' of a believed to be highly trained Islamic State terror cell just waiting for an ''excuse/reason'' to attack.
Predictably, this report grimly notes, and within just a few hours of President Hollande's provocative statements, two members of this Brussels based Islamic State terror cell attempted to drive and detonate a truck loaded with explosives into the Eiffel Tower'--but who were both killed when an elite counter terrorist force of General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) police used a [УдаÐ>>иÑÑ] (similar to the US made Pyros small tactical missile) to instantly incinerate them before they could detonate their explosives.
While the DGSI was successful in stopping the attack upon the Eiffel Tower, this report continues, they were not able to stop the simultaneous terror attack occurring 933 kilometers (580 miles) away from Paris in the Mediterranean coastal city of Nice'--and that killed at least 80 innocent people.
To why the Western media in both the US and EU are censoring the full details of these horrific attacks, and the events leading up to them, this report states, was explained to President Putin by US Secretary of State John Kerry (who were both meeting at the time of this terrorist incident) as being due to their citizens being ''unable to fully comprehend the subtleties'''--a phrase SVR intelligence analysts are still unable to either understand or comprehend.
This report, however, in its conclusion does note that the censoring from the Western peoples the full scope and horrors of Islamic State terror infiltration into their nations is a long running policy of both the US and EU'--and includes leaked documents proving the German press covered up the 1,200 women were sexually assaulted by 2,000 men in German cities on New Year's Eve, the Canadian press covering up a near mass shooting event by Islamic terrorists, the Swedish press covering up that their police used a secret ''Code 291'' to conceal over 5,000 reported incidents related to Islamic State terrorists, and the American press covering up a vile sexual attack by children of Islamic State war refuges against a five-year-old girl in Twin Falls, Idaho'--and that the Obama regimes US Federal Prosecutor threatened if anyone said anything about this crime she'd put them in jail.
July 15, 2016 (C) EU and US all rights reserved. Permission to use this report in its entirety is granted under the condition it is linked back to its original source at WhatDoesItMean.Com. Freebase content licensed under CC-BY and GFDL.
[Note: Many governments and their intelligence services actively campaign against the information found in these reports so as not to alarm their citizens about the many catastrophic Earth changes and events to come, a stance that the Sisters of Sorcha Faal strongly disagree with in believing that it is every human beings right to know the truth. Due to our missions conflicts with that of those governments, the responses of their 'agents' has been a longstanding misinformation/misdirection campaign designed to discredit us, and others like us, that is exampled in numerous places, includingHERE.]
Chaos?You Want Chaos? OK, WE'LL GIVE YOU CHAOS!!!
They Are Going To Come For You'...Why Are You Helping Them?
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France: Another truck bomb parked near Nice defused, Muslim arrested | Pamela Geller
While Western elites are flapping their tongues praising Islam and warning us to do the same, jihadis are setting the world on fire.
The blood is still in the streets of Nice and Muslim soldiers are setting off bombs.
''France: Another truck bomb parked near Nice defused, Muslim suspect arrested,'' By Robert Spencer, July 15, 2016All-out war. All-out jihad. But France, says its Prime Minister, is just going to have to get used to it.
''VID: Another Truck Bomb Parked near Nice Defused, One Suspect Arrested,'' Al-Alam, July 15, 2016 (thanks to Lookmann):
The French Special Forces defused an explosive-laden truck parked on a highway near Nice, local media reports. A bomb disposal operation was conducted on a highway near Nice where a truck attack occurred Thursday night.
French police have detained one person during a search raid of the suspected driver's house, who careened through crowds of people in Nice on Thursday night, iTele TV channel reports.
''We have seen policemen in masks take someone away, we don't know who it was,'' an iTele correspondent reported.
The correspondent also confirmed, that a bomb squad detonated a suspicious parcel while raiding a truck parked near the house'....
Stay on top of what's really happening. Follow me on Twitter here. Like me on Facebook here.
Police today arrested the wife of the ISIS fanatic who killed 84 people including at least ten children in Nice using a lorry and a handgun.
It has been revealed that killer Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, 31, a French Tunisian and married father of three, was depressed about the break up of his marriage before he mounted pavements at high speed and ploughed through crowds celebrating Bastille Day in Nice last night.
He had separated from wife Hajer some two years ago following a series of violent arguments, and he was said to have been upset in recent months as their divorce had been finalised.
Today Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said police have arrested his wife, as detectives try to establish his motives and if he had accomplices.
Dramatic footage released today shows the moment he was shot dead by five police officers in the 19-tonne lorry he used as a murder weapon on his mile-long killing spree.
One eyewitness filmed armed officers approaching the cab of the lorry and firing repeatedly through its windscreen and doors before it appears Bouhlel can be heard screaming after being hit by a police bullet and he died slumped in the passenger seat.
Witness Nadar El Shafei told the BBC: 'He died inside the vehicle - I saw his head [hanging] out of the window, they kept shooting him from all sides just to be sure. Then they asked us to run away in case there were others inside the car or a bomb.'
WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT
Monster: Truck terrorist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel who murdered 84 on Bastille Day in Nice, was described by a cousin as a 's***' and a 'nasty piece of work' who never observed the rules of Islam
Shootout: Police approach the cab where the gunman, named locally as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, went on his rampage. It is not clear if this was taken as he was killed after this picture was taken with one witness saying he may have been hanging out of a window
Intense fighting: Police fired dozens of rounds into the cab of the lorry after its mile-long rampage with witnesses saying the suspect was firing out of the cab and died
Last stand: One eyewitness filmed armed officers approaching the cab of the lorry and firing through its windscreen and doors before it appears Bouhlet can be heard screaming after being hit by a police bullet
Terror attack: At least 84 people were killed and dozens more critically injured last night when a terrorist killer, named locally as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, drove this truck, riddled with bullets, through crowds celebrating Bastille day in Nice
End: The police said today that French Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel died in the passenger seat of this 19-tonne truck after a shoot-out
Murder weapon: The key suspect is said to have been parked up for nine hours before carrying out the attack and may have been stopped by police but claimed he was delivering ice cream. In fact the back of his lorry contained many weapons and grenades
Horrifying: Police and forensics teams inspect bodies in the French sunshine where at least ten died and 50 injured - many of them in buggies left abandoned today
Disaster zone: Bodies lie along the promenade showing the devastating route the lorry took as it went through huge crowds
Terror investigation: The French authorities say it is their third terrorist atrocity in 18 months and admit it could take some time to identify all the dead
Atrocity: At least a dozen bodies of victims covered by sheets remain at the scene of the terror attack today as the authorities try to identify them
United in grief: Parents of victims embrace each other near the scene of a truck attack in Nice where more than 80 were killed
Tears for the lost: Two young women, obviously grief-stricken, lay flowers and messages for the many people killed and injured in Nice last night
Broken: President Hollande has called for France to unite and said the world was again watching their country after another terror attack
Path of destruction: After spending several hours parked up the killer went on a half hour rampage along the world famous Promenade des Anglais in Nice before he was shot dead by a hero policewoman
NICE TERRORIST ATTACK: THE STORY SO FAR Here is what we know so far about the lorry attack in Nice.
A terrorist drove a truck through crowds celebrating Bastille Day on Thursday night in the seaside city of Nice on the French Riviera, killing at least 84 people, including several children.
Eyewitnesses said the driver swerved from side to side to kill as many people as possible as he drove for hundreds of metres along the Promenade des Anglais on the seafront.
Christian Estrosi, the regional president in Nice, said at least 10 children were among the dead, and the death toll is expected to rise.
A "small number" of Britons are injured.
French authorities confirmed 202 people were wounded, 25 of which are on life support, while 52 are in a critical condition.
The attacker is reported to be 31-year-old Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a man of French-Tunisian origin who was not known to intelligence services.
One witness said the driver produced a gun before being shot by police.
No hostages were taken and the lorry driver was "neutralised", with authorities investigating if he was acting alone.
Mr Estrosi said guns and grenades were found in the lorry.
As the sun rose on Friday morning, the lorry could still be seen where it finally came to a halt, its windscreen peppered with bullet holes.
France has declared three days of national mourning following the atrocity.
French president Francois Hollande said the country's state of emergency would be extended for another three months.
A military operation is in place allowing the mobilisation of 10,000 troops.
Mr Hollande said the country's borders were being tightened, as he vowed that France would show "real force and military action in Syria and Iraq".
London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced he will be "reviewing our own safety measures" following the attack.
A Rihanna concert scheduled for Friday night at the Allianz Riviera stadium in Nice has been cancelled, as have the city's jazz festival, which was due to run from Saturday to Wednesday, and some of the Bastille celebrations over the weekend.
The shootout came after his 30 minute rampage where he aimed at crowds watching fireworks and sent 'bodies flying like bowling pins' and left others 'jammed' under the lorry's wheels at around 10.30pm local time last night.
This evening the death toll stands at 84 with another 202 injured. Of those 52 are in hospital in a critical condition and 25 of them are on life support machines.
Heartbroken men and women refused to leave the bodies of their loved ones and the dead remain strewn across the famous Promenade des Anglais today. Hundreds have now laid flowers in their memory as President Hollande said 'many foreigners have died' with at least 50 more people 'between life and death'.
French citizens, two Americans, one Armenian and one Ukrainian are among the dead with several Britons among the injured while dozens of panicked people have posted images of loved-ones still missing using the hashtags #Nice06 and #recherchenice.
At least ten of the victims were children, with young girls and boys lying dead covered in a blankets with their dolls and buggies still next to them. Footage taken at the time of the attack shows bodies piled up in the roads and people running from their lives as they tried to avoid the zig-zagging lorry while paramedics treated the injured and dying in the street.
The truck driver, who was known to police, was said to have shouted 'Allahu Akbar' '' God is great in Arabic '' before being killed in a clear suicide mission. Pro-ISIS groups have been celebrating the attack, orchestrated to coincide with France's most important national holiday.
A huge cache of guns, grenades and 'larger weapons' and the terrorist's identity papers were later found inside the lorry, which mounted the pavement at approximately 40mph and steered directly towards hundreds of people watching a fireworks display.
ISIS supporters have been celebrating the attack, orchestrated to coincide with France's most important national holiday. The gunman was known to police for crimes of theft and violence, but not intelligence services, a police source said. A suspected accomplice is on the run.
France today declared three days of national mourning after the truck attack - its third major terror attack in 18 months - and President Francois Hollande said: 'France is in tears, it is hurting but it is strong and she will be stronger - always stronger than the fanatics who wish to hurt us.'
Truck terrorist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel was an 'unlikely jihadist' who flouted every rule of Islam, his cousin told MailOnline today.
The 31-year-old - who wreaked terror on the Nice seafront as he turned an evening celebrating Bastille Day into a night of terror in which he murdered 84 innocent people - drank alcohol, ate pork and took drugs.
He never prayed or attended a mosque, and hit his wife - with whom he had three children - and was in the process of getting a divorce.
Bouhlel, who had been known to the French police since January, had been on the radar for six months for petty criminality.
It is understood he lost his job as a delivery driver when he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into four cars.
Yesterday, he was stopped by police just hours before he crushed scored of people underneath the wheels of his 25 tonne truck and fired shots indiscriminately at police and innocent bystanders.
He told officers that he was delivering ice-cream to the area and was allowed to park on the waterfront for several hours.
Horrifying footage of the moment the truck turned into a deadly juggernaut were uploaded online within minutes, showing a trail of dead bodies left in its path.
Walid Hamou, a cousin of Bouhlel's wife Hajer, told MailOnline: 'Bouhlel was not religious. He did not go to the mosque, he did not pray, he did not observe Ramadan.
'He drank alcohol, ate pork and took drugs. This is all forbidden under Islam. He was not a Muslim, he was a s***. He beat his wife, my cousin, he was a nasty piece of work.'
Detectives had raided the 12th floor apartment she had shared with her estranged husband in the early hours of the morning and another rented property nearby.
More disturbing facts emerged about Bouhlel's frame of mind in the hours leading to his murderous rampage on the Promenade des Anglais.
Wissam, a Tunisian neighbour from the same village as the driver claimed: 'On the Thursday night he was drinking with a colleague and they argued. His pal said you're worth nothing and he replied: 'One day, you'll hear about me.'
Speaking to L'Express he said: Look this is someone who drinks, smokes cannabis.'
Bouhlel's wife was taken into protective custody by police this morning was held for questioning on Friday, a police source said, adding investigators are seeking to establish his motives and are also looking for possible accomplices.
The Nice terrorist rented the lorry two days earlier and had been parked on the street for nearly nine hours and even told police he was delivering ice cream before carrying out his deadly attack, according to reports.
The killer, who was previously known to police for violence and theft, is reported to have had assault rifles, a pistol and even a grenade with him in the lorry - but they went undiscovered.
Despite allegedly questioning the driver, police officers in the southern French city did nothing to move him on as he waited to begin the attack.
He was shot dead by a police officer, believed to have been female, after he opened fire into a crowd of fleeing people. A motorcyclist tried to stop the rampage by drawing level with the truck and attempting to open the door of its cab before he fell and ended up under its wheels.
Today the delivery truck, riddled with bullets, remains in the centre of Nice with bodies strewn nearby.
TRUCK TERRORIST LAHOUAIEJ BOUHLEL KNOWN TO POLICE FOR ABUSE, THEFT AND 'USE OF WEAPONS'Killer Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel was known to police for violent abuse, theft and 'use of weapons' before he embarked on a rampage that would leave 84 dead.
He had been arrested following a brawl in a pub on January 27 and his last appearance in a criminal court was as recent as March, when he was found guilty of violent contact.
Delivery driver Bouhlel had also recently been put under probation after he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into four vehicles on a highway, it is claimed in Spanish newspaper El Mundo.
However, the man had never been associated with any acts of terrorism before the Bastille Day slaughter, and he was not under surveillance.
Several of his relatives and close friends have been taken into police custody for questioning and simultaneous raids are continuing in the Abattoirs area of Nice.
Neighbours of Bouhlel described him as a 'lonely' and 'silent' man, with one saying he never returned their greetings.
Meanwhile, investigators are using the city's 1,200 surveillance cameras to track the route of the lorry before the attack.
It is understood that Bouhlel had rented the truck on Wednesday from a specialist garage at Saint Laurent du Var by Nice Airport.
Police have discovered CCTV footage of the moment he boarded the lorry in the hills around Nice, according to reports.
It has also been claimed he was parked on the promenade for nearly nine hours before the attack, but was allowed to stay because he told police he was delivering ice cream.
Documents found in the cab included an ID, a mobile phone and a credit card.
Security sources said a huge cache of guns, grenades and 'larger weapons' were later found inside the lorry.
Bereft: A shocked woman in yellow sits on the phone next to the body of a loved-one, surrounded by debris, as ISIS terrorists again struck in France, this time on Bastille Day, killing at least 84
Alone: A man sits in silence and clasps his hands while sitting at the head of a body killed in France's third major terrorist attack in 18 months
Shootout: After zig-zagging through crowds the terrorist fired on crowds before a police marksman shot him dead
Aftermath: This photograph was taken in the moments after the lorry crashed through crowds of people in the devastating terror attack
Panic: People were seen running for their lives after a suspected terrorist drove through crowds of people celebrating Bastille Day then got out and opened fire
Fight for life: An injured young woman wounded in the terror attack is treated in the street by a paramedic as dozens more fight for their lives today
Police halted the truck after firing more than 40 rounds into the cab as it ploughed through more than 100 people in Nice last night
Details of those killed are slowly emerging in the aftermath of the attack.
Twenty-eight-year-old Hamza Charrihi held up an identity card belonging to her mother who was killed in the attack.
She told L'Express: ' She wore the veil of Islam and practiced a true and balanced religion'...a real Islam. Not the one of the terrorists.'
Recovering from shock in a University building in the centre of Nice, turned into a shelter for relatives, she spoke briefly to pay testament to the memory of her mother.
Damien Allemand, a journalist for French regional newspaper Nice Matin saw the horror unfold.
He said the attack began just as the fireworks display ended as thousands of people were milling around the waterside.
He said: 'He rode up onto the Prom and piled into the crowd. A fraction of a second later, an enormous white truck came along at a crazy speed, turning the wheel to mow down the maximum number of people,' he said. I saw bodies flying like bowling pins along its route. Heard noises, cries that I will never forget.'
Witnesses of the attack in Nice described seeing people run through the streets as they heard gunshots.
Wassim Bouhel told the French TV channel iTele that the lorry zigzagged across the road.
He said: 'We almost died. It was like hallucinating ... (the lorry) zigzagged - you had no idea where it was going. My wife was a metre away.
'The lorry ripped through everything, poles, trees. We have never seen anything like it. Some people were hanging on the door and tried to stop it.'
Neighbours of the man suspected to have killed scores of people in a truck attack on the Nice seafront described him Friday as a loner with no visible religious affiliation, as forensic experts searched his flat.
AFP reporters interviewed about a dozen neighbours of the man, named by police as 31-year-old Franco-Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, whose identity papers were found in the truck.
They portrayed him as a solitary figure who rarely spoke and did not even return greetings when their paths crossed in the four-storey block, located in a working-class neighbourhood of Nice.
Sebastien, a neighbour who spoke on condition that his full name was not used, said Lahouaiej-Bouhlel did not seem overtly religious, often dressed in shorts and sometimes wore work boots.
He had a van parked nearby and owned a bike, which he brought up into his first-floor apartment.
Of those who were interviewed, only one, a neighbour on the ground floor, said she had had any concerns about him - he was 'a good-looking man who kept giving my two daughters the eye.'
Respect: Huge crowds have gathered in Promenades des Anglais with the lorry in the background this afternoon
United: A young boy leaves a bouquet of white flowers in Promenades des Anglais today surrounded by people of all races and religions
A woman and two children pay flowers tribute outside the French embassy in Moscow, Russia, after a Russian national died in Nice
Police investigators and forensic experts entered his apartment around 9.30am with an armed police intervention unit in support, and brought out bags of material later.
At least 84 people were killed when the white 19-tonne truck slammed into the crowd on the Promenade des Anglais, Nice's glitzy beachfront, as they gathered to watch a firework display on France's national day.
Russian student Victoria Savchenko, 21, was killed instantly when she was hit by the truck as she walked with her friend Polina Serebryannikova, 22, in Nice last night.
Polina today described how she saw the truck career through the crowd just moments before it hit Victoria, a student at the Russian government's elite Financial University in Moscow.
Sean Copeland, 51, and his 11-year-old son Brodie, who were on vacation in France at the time of the attack, have been confirmed dead by friends and family online.
Haley Copeland wrote on Facebook: 'By now many of you have heard about the 80 people that have died in Nice, France today from a terrorist attack driving through a parade.
'2 of those 80 people were American and those 2 people happen to be uncle Sean and 11 year old cousin Brodie.
'They were there on vacation with my two other cousins and aunt celebrating a birthday.'
Home: Police searched the apartment of Nice terrorist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel today as well as another van left near the property
Turned over: Officers pulled out drawers, went through cupboards and tested surfaces in the property in the north of Nice today
Probe: French police search a lorry and the apartment of Nice terrorist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel today as they work out why he did it
Forensics: Officers go over another rental lorry close to the home of suspect Bouhlel - but the company that loaned him a lorry have refused to comment today
People posted images of friends, brothers and sisters, mothers and numerous young people who they have been unable to reach since at least 84 people were killed in the southern French city.
Many others of the heartbreaking messages posted on Twitter include photos of mothers and daughters, young people, and show screenshots of frantic messages sent to the missing, with no reply.
Around 100 people were forced to dive into the sea as panic ensued and holiday crowds desperately ran for their lives. The gunman then jumped out of the truck and opened fire, which is when he was shot dead by police.
French President Francois Hollande said several children were among the dead and added that it was 'undeniable' the massacre was a terrorist attack.
He said the truck attack was done 'to satisfy the cruelty of an individual, and maybe a group.' Speaking after visiting the hospital where victims were treated, he also said that France was 'facing a struggle which will be long.'
Anti-terror police swooped in as the city was put on lockdown and residents were warned to stay indoors for their safety. Gunshots rang out in the streets, with the gunman targeting hotels and cafes in the port city in the south of France.
One witness called Antoine said: 'We were at the Neptune beach and a firework display had just finished. That is when we saw a white lorry. It was going quickly at 60-70 kilometres an hour.'
Eyewitness Wassim Bouhlel said that he saw a truck drive into the crowd and then witnessed the man emerge with a gun and start shooting.
'There was carnage on the road,' Bouhlel said. 'Bodies everywhere.'
Bodies could be seen lying on the floor by the beach, as the police and other emergency services tried to deal with a mass panic.
Interpol is sending a response team to the French city of Nice to help identify victims and aid in the investigation into the truck attack that left at least 84 people dead.
According to the international police organization, the team will include anti-terrorism specialists.
Victoria Savchenko (pictured left), 21, was killed instantly when she was walking down the street and hit. Aurelie Remy, centre, A young boy who had been out with his aunt, are missing
Also dead are Brodie Copeland, 11, from Texas (pictured left on vacation in the French Riviera and right) who died along with his father, Sean
Father, Sean, 51, (pictured far left with wife Kimberly far right, and Brodie, centre) was also killed
Emilie Chevrier (pictured, left) was among the missing as well as Hugo (right), 16, whose brother is desperately trying to find hm
Alexandre Torre, Christelle Nunez and their daughter Lous are missing according to social media
Witness Lucy Nesbitt-Comaskey told Sky News that the noise of gunfire 'sounded like Beirut'.
She said: 'I said to my friend 'This doesn't sound like fireworks, it sounds like Beirut when it's under fire'.
'All of a sudden people were screaming in the streets and running into all the restaurants.
'All the restaurants were open and people were coming.
'We were just sitting there and everyone came into our restaurant and the owners were saying 'Please don't go anywhere, come in, come in'.
Ms Nesbitt-Comaskey said she and her friend were planning to go to the fireworks but stopped to find a toilet and were only a block away when the attack happened.
Speaking about what she witnessed, she said: 'It was shocking, it was devastating and I cannot believe that I have come over here for a few days and I have got mixed up in something so tragic.
'It was just awful.'
Briton Will Shore was in a nearby bar when he heard gunfire and said his initial reaction was to run towards the city centre to see what was happening.
He told the BBC: 'I kind of ran towards the centre of Nice where there was a rather large jazz festival, and something was going on. I immediately found that military and the local police were just ushering absolutely everybody out of the area.
'It was quite chaotic really. There was a lot of people screaming, running around and people were kind of being pushed over, I think, from people just being so frightened about what was going on, especially after hearing the gunshots.
'I had to help a couple of people up who were in distress on the floor because everyone was in such a panic.'
He added: 'You could genuinely see the fear and panic in people's faces when they were running away. It was a mass amount of people running away'.
Secure zone: The world's media has descended on Nice - with police erecting a large screen as they continue to look at the lorry (in the top right of the picture)
Chaos: This is the scene in Nice today where the lorry raced the length of the famed Promenade des Anglais, leaving 84 dead in his wake
Crime scene: The lorry used as a murder weapon remains on the French Riviera city's famed waterfront promenade with police gathering evidence and marking put bullet casings with yellow numbered signs
Aftermath: The scene on the attack on the Promenade de Anglais where the 31-year-old murderer hit as many people as he could before being killed in a shootout with police
Horror: Bodies are still strewn along the mile-long route as police admitted today that the man who killed them was known to them
A truck ploughed through a large group of people in Nice during a suspected terrorist attack which claimed 'dozens of lives'
Horrific images depicting men and women lying on the side of a road close to the Promenade des Anglais
A child's doll lies on the street beside the body of a young girl who was killed in last night's attack in Nice in the south of France
Monstrous act: A man lies next to a body, with his head in his hands, as he tries to come to terms with the horror of what happened
Emergency: S(C)curit(C) Civile helicopters took off from the Promenade des Anglais surrounded by body bags
Armed police took up positions during the attack fearing there were additional terrorists in the area as the perpetrator was shot dead
Death toll: At least ten people lie dead on a short stretch of road where the lorry flew through crowds in Nice, killing families on a national holiday
Emergency services work to save the dead and injured on pavements along the mile-long stretch of road in Nice
Overwhelmed: Paramedics help a stricken victim on the left side of the picture, on the right hand side a man crouches, clearly in tears over the body of a victim
Makeshift: As the death toll rose bodies were left were they were hit or shot and were covered in blankets and often weighed down with whatever was available including rocks from the beach
Stunned survivors stood just feet away from from the bodies of five people who were run over next to HiBeach in Nice, pictured
Path of destruction: The driver spent around 30 minutes on the road before he was stopped by a police marksman in a shoot-out
French police riddled the truck with gunfire in an effort to kill the crazed driver of the truck which ran down hundreds of people
Carnage: The killed zig-zagged across the road trying to hit as many people as possible, including several children killed as they watched the fireworks
Investigation: Police in France are now treating this as a terrorist attack and have admitted the killer was known to them and is believed to be from Nice via Tunisia
Horror: Witnesses described seeing bodies of the dead being sent flying in all directions or being jammed under the wheels of the lorry
Terrible: One of the dozens of people killed by the killer lorry driver lies covered on the pavement with her handbag still next to her
Panic: Emergency services were working through the night to treat people in the street where they lay or in local hospitals. Doctors are begging for people to donate blood to help the injured
Icon: The sweeping promenade of Nice with its famous twinkling street lights. Today this famous scene is at the centre of one of France's worst terror attacks
In shock: Three survivors of the terror attack cling to one another as they try to come to terms with what happened and pass the body of someone whose life was taken
Heartbroken: Two men stand next to bodies, with one on a mobile phone, as many families lost loved-ones in the terror attack last night
Grief: A woman sobs into her hands while another man holds on to the body of someone killed by the ISIS terrorist
Awful: Friends of a man lying badly injured on the pavement try to treat him as he lies stricken on the floor with no shoes
Tragedy: A family of holidaymakers look at a woman in yellow as she sits next to the body of a loved-one killed in the terror attack
Support: People refuse to leave the side of the dead and injured while others walk dazed along the promenade after surviving the attrocity
Rush: Victims have been rushed to hospital for life-saving treatment but dozens remain critically ill and more are expected to succumb to their injuries
Emergency: Paramedics and doctors try to save a life of an injured victim - surrounded by bodies of those killed yesterday
On guard: France remains in a state of national emergency after a string of awful terror attacks on French soil in the past year
At least 70 people were killed in the southern French town of Nice when a truck ran into a crowd and targeted people on the pavement
At least 70 people have been killed during a horrific Bastille Day attack in Nice, southern France
The driver mounted the pavement at 40mph and steered directly at large groups of people watching the fireworks
The lorry drove for more than a mile targeting people who were attending the Bastille Day celebrations in Nice
Bereft: A man is bent double in grief by the body of a victim lying covered on Nice's world famous promenade
ISIS CELEBRATE YET ANOTHER DEADLY ATTACK ON FRANCEVile: Pro-ISIS groups have begun celebrating the Nice attack
Sick: One of the images superimposed the head of French president Fran§ois Hollande
Pro-ISIS groups have begun celebrating the Nice massacre which has left at least 77 people dead and more than 50 injured - but the terror group is yet to officially claim responsibility.
Scores of Bastille Day revellers were mown down by a truck after gathering to watch a fireworks display in the French city.
One French media outlet, weekly news magazine Paris Match, is reporting that ISIS has claimed responsibility but as yet there has been no official confirmation.
The group have mobilised to threaten France and encouraged the use of the #Nice_Attack hashtag.
Kevin Harris watched the attack unfold from his balcony.
He told the BBC: 'I saw what appeared to be bodies in the lying in the road.
'I spoke to my neighbour, who said the lorry had ploughed through the people. It's a terrible scene.'
Celia Delcourt, 20, from Nice, was enjoying the Bastille Day celebrations with friends when the attack happened.
'When the fireworks ended, we went on to the Promenade des Anglais and we started walking and we heard gunshots and we started running from on the other side,' she told ITV's Good Morning Britain programme.
'It was dark. We didn't know what was happening. We thought it was fireworks from another place. We just started running because everybody was running, without knowing what was happening.
'We never thought it will happen in our city, it's crazy. It feels like it's a part of our day since it happened in Paris but we never thought it would happen here.'
Ms Delcourt added: 'Everybody is shocked we have never been in a situation like this so it is unbelievable. It's shocking.'
British holidaymaker Esther Serwah, 59, was staying in a hotel a short walk from the scene.
She said she had been on her way to the Promenade des Anglais for dinner with her daughters when people started screaming at her.
Mrs Serwah, from Surrey, said: 'I was just walking to the Promenade and then I saw everybody running and I just didn't know what was going on.
'People were screaming at me in French but I didn't understand.
'Some people were lying on the streets dead and people were running over the bodies.
'Everybody was saying it's a terrorist attack. It's just horrible, horrible, horrible.
'I'm in shock. I'm still shaking.'
British eyewitness Kevin Harris was on the third-floor terrace of his hotel, where people had gathered to watch the fireworks, and saw the remnants of the horror moments before.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said: 'I came up to my bedroom on the seventh floor I was in my room for about a minute when I heard gunfire. I went out on to the balcony and, very sadly, I could see many bodes laying out on the road.
'There were many bodies, maybe twenty, and the strange thing was that nobody was moving. Nobody was trying to resuscitate anyone, which suggests everyone was hit so badly hit that there was no point.
'There were very few people around when I was looking down and eventually people started to arrive and they got towels from the beach club nextdoor and started to cover the bodies.
'There was a second body by the side of the truck and I assumed that was probably the perpetrator because the body wasn't covered and there were lots of police around it.'
Security forces were stretched as the truck hit people indiscriminately as they tried to flee from the carnage last night
French Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve spoke to reporters early this morning as the death toll continued to rise
Heavily armed soldiers occupied the centre of the town to restore control after the attack which claimed at least 50 lives
An air ambulance arrived at the scene, pictured, to take survivors of the attack to hospital
Fireworks were filling the night sky as the drama unfolded, as the crowds enjoyed July 14th, which is always a Bank Holiday in France
Australian tourists Marcus and Sally-Anne Freeman were in Nice for Bastille Day and took pictures before the massacre took place
Thousands of people stood on the beach waiting for the fireworks display to celebrate the storming of the Bastille
The attack happened in the Promenade des Anglais in Nice in the South of France while victims were watching a firework display
Forensic officers tried to establish what exactly happened last night in an effort to determine whether the killer had any outside help
French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, back row, second left, held crisis meetings in Nice in the aftermath of the terrorist attack
European Council president Donald Tusk said Europe stands united with the French people in the battle against violence and hatred, while Belgian foreign minister Didier Reynders both described the attack as 'barbaric'.
DEFIANT FRENCH PRESIDENT FRANCOIS HOLLANDE PLEDGES TO HIT ISIS IN SYRIA AND IRAQ HARDERFrench President Francois Hollande said it was undeniable that last night's attack was a terrorist atrocity
In an emotional speech, President Hollande said: 'Last night a lorry hit a crowd of people in Nice with the intention of killing.
'At the time i speak there are 77 victims, of which many are children.
'Once again we have seen extreme violence and it is obvious we must do everything to fight against this terrorism.
'The driver was shot and killed. We are investigating whether he was linked to any others.
'France has been hit on its national day, the 14th of July.
'I want to express my solidarity with the nation, which is now in mourning. I have instructed all regional hospitals to be prepared for an influx of injured.
'Under these circumstances we must display caution. and we must work together but we must during this busy weekend show care and attention for security.
'I will once again mention our highest military operation of security which allow the mobilisation of 10,000 military officers across the country.
'This will cover all brigades of the police, who will be called from across the country, to the Nice region to assist their comrades
'We will also pay much attention to tightening borders and I will now announce that the state of emergency which was meant to be lifted will be extended a further three months.
'Following this we will show real force and military action in Iraq and Syria.
'Our defence department will hold a meeting later this morning. Followng this meeting I will travel with the prime minsiter to Nice later today.
'France has been hit by tragedy once again.
This monstrosity of using a lorry to deliberately kill people, many people, who only came out to celebrate their national day.
'France is in tears, it is hurting but it is strong and she will be stronger - always stronger than the fanatics who wish to hurt us.'
British Prime Minister Theresa May is being kept up to date on the 'terrible incident' in Nice, a Downing Street spokesman said.
He added: 'Our thoughts are with all those affected by this terrible incident on what was a day of national celebration'.
British police forces have been asked to review security at major events across the UK following the deadly attack in Nice last night, which killed 84 people and left more than 100 injured.
Downing Street said the precautions are 'to ensure the appropriate security is in place' as Theresa May vowed to increase efforts to defeat the 'brutal' terrorist 'murderers'.
The new Prime Minister said Britain stands 'shoulder to shoulder' with France today after the 'horrifying' events in Nice last night saw several children among the victims of a terrorist who drove a truck through crowds celebrating Bastille Day.
A 'small number' of British nationals have been injured in the attack, the Prime Minister's spokesman said today.
The Government's emergency Cobra committee met this morning, while Mrs May said the UK's security threat remained at 'severe' - meaning a terror attack in Britain is highly likely.
Mrs May, who has vast experience of responding to terror threats having served as Home Secretary for the last six years, pledged to step up efforts to defeat terrorism to 'stand up for our values and for our freedom'.
France's ambassador to the United States, Gerard Araud, said last night that the world's democratic states are under attack in a Bastille Day reception in Washington.
'Our democracies - France, the United States, our other partners , we are besieged, we face a terrible threat.'
The country is already in a state of emergency after 130 people were killed in a terror attack in Paris in November. After last night's attack it was extended for another three months.
Following last night's horrific terror attack in Nice President Fran§ois Hollande has promised to show 'real force' in Iraq as he confirmed that children were among the dead.
The French leader has returned to Paris from the city of Avignon to hold an urgent meeting at the Interior Ministry and is expected to head to Nice later this morning along with the Prime Minister.
Mr Hollande held a press conference shortly after Thursday night's incident, which left at least 77 people dead after a truck ploughed through crowds watching fireworks as they celebrated Bastille Day.
In an emotional speech, he said: 'Last night a lorry hit a crowd of people in Nice with the intention of killing. At the time I speak there are 77 victims, of which many are children.
'Once again we have seen extreme violence and it is obvious we must do everything to fight against this terrorism.'
In the meeting he will seek advice on how France should react to the attack, which took place just hours after he issued a statement confirming that he would end the nation's nine-month state of emergency.
Speaking earlier in the day, the President announced that the extreme terror threat level - which had been in place since the November 13 attacks which left 130 dead - would not extend beyond July 26.
According to France 24, the state of emergency was extended three times by parliament in an effort to provide additional resources to ensuring safety through the Euro-2016 soccer tournament, which concluded on Sunday.
ut following last night's horrific attack, he has now confirmed the state of emergency will be extended by a further three months.
Speaking at the press conference, Mr Hollande said: 'The driver of the lorry was shot and killed. We are investigating whether he was linked to any others.
'I want to express my solidarity with the nation, which is now in mourning. I have instructed all regional hospitals to be prepared for an influx of the injured.
'Under these circumstances we must display caution. and we must work together, but we must during this busy weekend show care and attention for security.
'I will once again mention our highest military operation of security, which will now allow the mobilisation of 10,000 military officers across the country.
'This will cover all brigades of the police, who will be called from across the country, to the Nice region to assist their comrades
'We will also pay much attention to tightening borders and I will now announce that the state of emergency which was meant to be lifted will be extended a further three months.
Boris Johnson said he is 'shocked and saddened' by the tragedy, which will be the first major international incident he will deal with as Foreign Secretary since being given the job earlier this week.
French Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said: 'We are in a war with terrorists who want to strike us at any price and in a very violent way.'
Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet gave an update on the rapidly developing situation. He said: 'There is no hostage-taking. An individual drove a truck into the crowd. He was killed by police.
'Investigations are currently under way to establish if the individual acted alone or if he had accomplices who might have fled.'
Local politician Eric Ciotti said: 'It's a scene of horror.' He confirmed the truck mowed down 'several hundred people'.
He said the truck drove for more than a mile hitting people along the promenade and confirmed the driver was killed by police 'apparently after an exchange of gunfire'.
The truck was riddled with at least 40 bullet holes. The front of the vehicle was badly damaged while the front tyres had been shot out.
The Paris prosecutor's office opened an investigation for 'murder, attempted murder in an organised group linked to a terrorist enterprise'.
Witnesses caught the moment the truck mounted the pavement on video as it steered towards a large group of revelers
Bodies were strewn over more than 100 metres along the promenade in Nice in the South of France
People leaving the area were ordered to hold their hands up as they evacuated the scene near the sea front in Nice last night
Shocked survivors held each other after witnessing the massacre which killed more than 70 people injuring at least 150 others
Soldiers secured the scene while emergency workers treated the wounded and checked on those killed in yesterday's massacre
Within an hour of the attack, French authorities had handed over the investigation to anti-terrorist police
The Hotel Negresco was used as a make-shift triage centre to house survivors of last night's terrorist attack
At least 15 people are believed to be in a critical condition following last night's terrorist attack in Nice
Amid the chaotic scenes people were separated from their loved ones and were unaware whether they had survived the massacre
Emergency services used bars, restaurants, casinos and hotels as triage centres to deal with the walking wounded
A massive security operation was launched in the aftermath of the deadly massacre with survivors evacuated with their hands up
Emergency services took badly wounded survivors away from the scene in a fleet of ambulances to nearby hospitals for treatment
The front of the truck was badly damaged after it knocked down dozens of people enjoying an evening by the sea front
A man holding a small girl carried the traumatised youngster away from the scene of the massacre in Nice, southern France
French anti-terrorist police have taken over the investigation with US President Barack Obama promising his assistance
TIMELINE OF TERROR: DEADLY ISIS ATTACKS ON WEST IN LAST 12 MONTHSLocationDate AttackDeath toll Injuries Istanbul June 29, 2016 Triple suicide bombing at city's Ataturk airportThree attackers arrived in a taxi and began firing at the terminal entrance. They blew themselves up after police fired back - with CCTV footage capturing the moment one wounded extremist detonated his explosive vest seconds after a hero officer tried to detain him
41 230 Orlando June 12, 2016 Mass shooting at gay nightclub PulseLone gunman Omar Mateen - a 29-year-old American security guard - sprayed bullets across the dancefloor before taking hostages after entering the Florida nightclub in the middle of the night armed with an AR-15. He was shot and killed by Orlando police after a three-hour standoff
49 53Brussels March 22, 2016 Nail bombings in Brussels AirportTwo suicide bombers carrying homemade bombs in large suitcases attacked a departure hall at Brussels Airport in Zaventem. They exploded nine seconds apart. Another explosion took place just over an hour later in the middle carriage of a three-carriage train at Maalbeek metro station
35 340 Istanbul January 12, 2016 Suicide bomber detonates in the city's tourist-heavy historical centreNabil Fadli, a Syrian member of the Islamic State walked up to a tour group standing in Sultanahmet Square and blew himself up. Most of the victims were German but also came from Peru, South Korea and Norway
13 15ParisNovember 13, 2015Bombings and shootings in Bataclan and across the French capitalA series of coordinated attacks occurred at the national stadium during a football match between France and Germany, followed by suicide bombings and mass shootings at caf(C)s, restaurants and a music venue in the centre of the city
137 368 Egypt October 23, 2015Bomb brings down Russian jet over EgyptMetrojet Flight 9268 comes down in Sinai. Shortly after the crash, the Islamic State Sinai Branch, previously known as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, claimed responsibility for the incident
224 0 Tunisia June 26, 2015 Mass shooting at packed tourist beachAttack occurred at Port El Kantaoui where hundreds of Brits were holidaying. Seifeddine Rezgui Yacoubi, disguised as a tourist, socialised with others, and then took out a Kalashnikov assault rifle concealed in a beach umbrella and fired at the tourists on the beach. He entered a hotel, shooting at people he came across
38 39 US President Barack Obama has condemned what appears to be 'a horrific terrorist attack' and has directed his officials to provide any assistance required by the French government.
He said: 'On behalf of the American people, I condemn in the strongest terms what appears to be a horrific terrorist attack in Nice, France, which killed and wounded dozens of innocent civilians.
'We stand in solidarity and partnership with France, our oldest ally, as they respond to and recover from this attack.
'We know that the character of the French Republic will endure long after this devastating and tragic loss of life.
'On this Bastille Day, we are reminded of the extraordinary resilience and democratic values that have made France an inspiration to the entire world.'
Carrying on: One women in Nice decided to sunbathe on a wall close to where the attack happened on the Promenade des Anglais
Holidaygoers: People arrived back at the beach with their inflatables on Friday after the horrific attack the night before
Devastated: A man appears emotional as he sits near a French flag along the beachfront the day after the attack
His Secretary of State John Kerry added: 'The horrendous attack in Nice is an attack against innocent people on a day that celebrates Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.
'On behalf of all Americans, and especially the great many with close ties to France, I offer our deepest condolences to the friends and family of those who were killed and our hopes for a speedy recovery to those who were injured.
'I was proud to stand alongside French leaders earlier today at Bastille Day celebrations in Paris, and the United States will continue to stand firmly with the French people during this time of tragedy. We will provide whatever support is needed.
'Our embassy in Paris is making every effort to account for the welfare of U.S. citizens in Nice. Any U.S. citizens in Nice should contact friends and family directly to inform them of their well being.'
President Hollande, pictured, was updated on the massacre as he flew to the crisis nerve centre last night with PM Manuel Valls, right
Across the city, hundreds of people hid and locked themselves in cafes and bars to protect themselves from possible attack
Tens of thousands of people gathered along the coast to celebrate the annual bank holiday when they were attacked
Eyewitnesses reported there were exchanges of gunfire between police and suspected terrorists in Nice, southern France
People ran for their lives as the truck ploughed through the group of people in Nice, southern France
Several people have been injured as videos emerged showing people fleeing in panic
Emergency services helped wounded survivors into a fleet of ambulances to evacuate them from the scene for treatment
Bastille Day, which celebrates the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris during the French Revolution of 1789, is the country's biggest public holiday.
BASTILLE DAY: FRANCE'S ANNUAL DAY OF CELEBRATION Bastille Day marks the July 14, 1789, storming of the Bastille prison by angry Paris crowds that helped spark the French Revolution.
The uprising was organised by ordinary Parisians intent on making clear they would no longer accept the absolute power of King Louis XVI's as they faced high taxes and extortionate food costs.
There were not many prisoners in the Bastille at the time of the storming - only 7 people were freed - but the point was made.
That very night, 800 men destroyed the Bastille.
What happened that day began the French Revolution, in turn bringing about the modern French Republic.
The July 14 'Fªte de la F(C)d(C)ration' - which marked the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille - became a French national holiday in 1880 and has been observed ever since.
The day itself is celebrated passionately across France, with events held throughout the country on what is now a bank holiday.
Weeks later, the National Assembly abolished feudalism and adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen as its constitution.
France became united under the agreement: 'Men are born free and remain free and equal in rights.'
Months on both Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were executed.
Nice mayor Christian Estrosi said: 'This is the worst Nice drama of history. We are terrified and we want to present to all the families our sincere condolences.'
He said flags in the city would be flown at half-mast, while a concert by US superstar Rhianna and the popular jazz festival have both been cancelled.
Horrific images depicting men and women lying on the side of a road close to the Promenade des Anglais appeared on social media.
Fireworks were filling the night sky as the drama unfolded, as the crowds enjoyed July 14th, which is always a Bank Holiday in France.
France has been repeatedly targeted in recent months.
Colin Srivastava told BBC News: 'We were basically sitting just in front of the Old Town in Nice and saw several hundred people running towards us looking panic stricken.
'We tried to ask a few of them what the hell was going on and finally got one that said, 'You need to go, the police have told us to run'.
'Just around about the base of the hill where the castle is in Nice the police came running along and said, 'Run now'.
'We had absolutely no idea what was going on, to be honest with you.
'When we got down into the port in Nice we were told by a few people who'd obviously run faster than we had that there was the story of a lorry that had gone into the people, basically cannoned into the crowd, and there were also shots fired, which is something we didn't hear about until just now on French news.'
Meanwhile, in Paris, a fire broke out near the Eiffel Tower, however authorities said this incident was not suspicious.
According to the White House: 'The president has been apprised of the situation in Nice, France, and his national security team will update him, as appropriate.'
French President Francois Hollande is heading to the Interior Ministry's crisis centre.
Police shot and killed the driver, who drove at high speed for over 100 yards along the famed Promenade des Anglais seafront before hitting the mass of spectators, regional sub-prefect Sebastien Humbert told France Info radio.
Humbert described it as a clear criminal attack, although the driver was not yet identified. Residents of the Mediterranean city close to the Italian border were advised to stay indoors. There was no sign of any other attack.
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy tweeted: 'Deep emotion and infinite sadness at the Nice attack. Solidarity with the Nicois and the inhabitants of the Alpes-Maritimes.'
Fireworks were filling the night sky as the drama unfolded, as the crowds enjoyed July 14th, which is always a Bank Holiday in France.
'It is absolute chaos,' said an eye witness who works in the Nice judiciary. 'There are reports of dozens of people killed, and many more injured. Bodies are lying everywhere.
'Police are flooding the streets, including anti-terrorism officers. Nobody knows what to do, except to hide away. Gunmen are meant to be targeting hotels.'
The lorry was seen mounting the pavement and piling into anyone the driver could see, ramming over those who tried to run away.
There were also separate reports of a possible fire near the Eiffel Tower in Paris last nigh according to witnesses
EXCLUSIVE - 'He drank alcohol, ate pork'... and took drugs. He was NOT a Muslim': Truck terrorist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel's cousin reveals he is an 'unlikely jihadist' who beat his wife and NEVER went to the mosque
Monster: Bouhlel, who shot indiscriminately at police and members of the public, was described by a cousin as a 's***' and a 'nasty piece of work' who never observed the rules of Islam
Truck terrorist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel was an 'unlikely jihadist' who flouted every rule of Islam, his cousin told MailOnline today.
The 31-year-old - who wreaked terror on the Nice seafront as he turned an evening celebrating Bastille Day into a night of terror in which he murdered 84 innocent people - drank alcohol, ate pork and took drugs.
He never prayed or attended a mosque, and hit his wife - with whom he had three children - and was in the process of getting a divorce.
Bouhlel, who had been known to the French police since January, had been on the radar for six months for petty criminality.
It is understood he lost his job as a delivery driver when he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into four cars.
Yesterday, he was stopped by police just hours before he crushed scored of people underneath the wheels of his 19 tonne truck and fired shots indiscriminately at police and innocent bystanders.
He told officers that he was delivering ice-cream to the area and was allowed to park on the waterfront for several hours.
Horrifying footage of the moment the truck turned into a deadly juggernaut were uploaded online within minutes, showing a trail of dead bodies left in its path.
Walid Hamou, a cousin of Bouhlel's wife Hajer, told MailOnline: 'Bouhlel was not religious. He did not go to the mosque, he did not pray, he did not observe Ramadan.
'He drank alcohol, ate pork and took drugs. This is all forbidden under Islam.
'He was not a Muslim, he was a s***.
'He beat his wife, my cousin, he was a nasty piece of work.'
Bouhlel's wife was taken into protective custody by police this morning.
Detectives had raided the 12th floor apartment she had shared with her estranged husband in the early hours of the morning and another rented property nearby.
More disturbing facts emerged about Bouhlel's frame of mind in the hours leading to his murderous rampage on the Promenade des Anglais.
Kicked in: Bouhlel's home was broken into and examined for clues. He had been known to the French police since January, but was not deemed a terror threat
Murderous: After crushing scores of people with the lorry, Bouhlel then got out and opened fire on the terrified revellers trying to flee
Target: French police raided a apartment Bouhlel was renting close to his estranged wife and ransacked the property, looking for clues
Not a Muslim: Walid Hamou, a cousin of Bouhlel's wife Hajer, told MailOnline: 'Bouhlel was not religious. He did not go to the mosque, he did not pray, he did not observe Ramadan'
Thief: Bouhlel was already known by police following accusations of domestic violence and theft, and was arrested following a pub brawl on January 27
Wissam, a Tunisian neighbour from the same village as the driver claimed: 'On the Thursday night he was drinking with a colleague and they argued. His pal said you're worth nothing and he replied: 'One day, you'll hear about me.'
He was not a Muslim, he was a s***. 'He beat his wife, my cousin, he was a nasty piece of work.
Speaking to L'Express he said: Look this is someone who drinks, smokes cannabis.'
Hannan, who lived on the floor below, said: 'He always looked at me oddly. He stared at us and we avoided him.'
Another neighbour described him as shifty and unwillingly to make contact.
Also, it now seems that the guns found in the van were fake and the grenade inoperable.
'Why?' said Wissam. 'What was the point of that?'
Focus: Officers pored over every inch of the 12th floor apartment Bouhlel lived in with his wife Hajer and the rented apartment nearby which he moved into when they separated
Fired: The father-of-three worked as a delivery driver, but is believed to have been fired recently after falling asleep at the wheel and crashing into four vehicles on a highway
12th floor: Police raided the 12th floor apartment as more details emerged about Bouhlel's life. The 31-year-old was stopped by police just hours before he crushed scored of people underneath the wheels of his 19 tonne truck and fired shots indiscriminately at police and innocent bystanders
It comes after Bouhlel was named by police as the terrorist who drove a lorry for more than a mile through crowds of people celebrating Bastille Day in the southern French city.
The attack left a trail of devastation, killing at least 84 people including 10 children, on the Promenade des Anglais.
After crushing scores of people with the lorry, the driver then got out and opened fire on the terrified revellers trying to flee.
Police were able to end the attack by shooting dead the gunmen.
Mr Hamou, 30, said: 'My cousin is with the police. They took her way at about 11am this morning, for her own protection. She is at the police station now giving a statement.'
Bouhlel is understood have separated from his wife two years ago.
Neighbour Nassim, 33, told MailOnline: 'Bouhlel used to live in this block of flats with his wife and family. I lived next door to him.
'He was not a fanatical muslim. He drank alcohol, he chased girls, he went to nightclubs. He did not go to the mosque. He was not religious at all.
'He split up from his wife about two years ago. She is a lovely woman.'
Bouhlel had lived with his wife and three young children in a flat in a run-down apartment block in a poor neighbourhood of Nice.
He worked as a delivery driver, but is believed to have been fired recently after falling asleep at the wheel and crashing into four vehicles on a highway.
Bouhlel was already known by police following accusations of domestic violence and theft, and was arrested following a pub brawl on January 27.
Council workmen were today repairing the front door of the former family home which had been smashed in by anti-terrorist police in the early hours of the morning.
Meanwhile detectives and anti-terrorist police were sifting through his belongings at the small rental apartment nearby where he had lived since the split.
Forensic officers were investigating a white van outside the property.
Faces of the missing: Friends and families in desperate plea to find children feared caught up in Bastille Day truck massacre
These are the faces of children and adults missing after the Bastille Day massacre in Nice.
Friends and family members have shared photos of their loved ones online in a desperate bid to locate them after 84 people were killed when a terrorist gunman drove a 19-tonne lorry through crowds on a mile-long killing spree on Thursday night.
The images shared on social media include friends, brothers, sisters, mothers and numerous young people who have reportedly vanished since the attack carried out by a 31-year-old French Tunisian named by local newspaper Nice Matin as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel.
The married father of three, mounted pavements at high speed and ploughed through crowds watching fireworks on Bastille Day.
At least 10 babies and children were killed, some in buggies, with least 54 children also being treated in hospital.
Many of the heartbreaking messages posted on Twitter include photos of mothers and daughters and show screenshots of frantic messages sent to the missing, with no reply. They were shared via a Twitter account called Recherche NICE.
Here are their faces:
These are the faces of children and adults missing after the Bastille Day massacre in Nice - posted online by the people terrified for their safety
'MAYBE THIS IS A BIT SELFISH BUT IT DID SPOIL OUR SHOPPING TRIP': EXCRUCIATING MOMENT BRITISH TOURIST COMPLAINS ABOUT NICE TERROR ATTACKA British woman has claimed her shopping trip to Nice was 'spoiled' when a terrorist gunman killed 84 people and seriously injured 50 more after he drove a 19-tonne lorry into crowds celebrating Bastille Day.
The tourist, named as Lucy Nesbitt-Comaskey, told Sky News: 'Maybe this is awful and maybe a bit selfish but it did spoil our shopping trip.
'We bought all this lovely shopping and now I can't be bothered with it. It doesn't mean anything now,' she said.
On Friday morning, Nesbitt-Comaskey issued a grovelling apology for her remarks via Facebook. She claimed that she was understandably 'in shock' at the time after witnessing the horrific events and misspoke while speaking to journalists.
British tourist Lucy Nesbitt-Comaskey said the Nice terror attack 'spoiled' her shopping trip
'My sincere condolences to the French people who have lost their loved one's today in Nice.
'I'm deeply sorry if my interview with Sky News sounded uncompassionate. I was totally distressed and shocked. My words came out wrong. Once again sorry,' she said.
Nesbitt-Comaskey was planning to go to the fireworks display on the promenade but had stopped to find a toilet on the way when the horror broke out.
She said restaurants along the promenade urged everyone to come inside.
'I said to my friend 'This doesn't sound like fireworks, it sounds like Beirut when it's under fire',' she recalled.
Lucy Nesbitt-Comaskey was understandably distressed when she made her remarks. On Friday morning she issued a grovelling apology via Facebook
Lucy Nesbitt-Comaskey planned to watch the Bastille Day fireworks display but had stopped to use the toilets on the way when the terror broke out
'This is war:' Donald Trump quickly seizes on 'horrific' Nice Bastille Day attack and says if elected president, he will ask Congress for declaration of war on ISIS
Donald Trump said if elected president, he would declare war on the Islamic State - hours after quickly seizing on horrific reports of another deadly attack in France to ask his Twitter followers: 'When will we learn?'
Trump was responding to reports that 80 people had been killed and more than 100 injured when a truck carrying weapons and hand grenades plowed into people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice on Thursday evening.
Although it was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, Trump said in an interview with Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor, Trump said: 'This is war.'
He said if he's elected president, he would ask Congress for a declaration of war on ISIS '' as unconfirmed reports claimed the terror group had claimed responsibility for the attack.
Quick: Donald Trump seized on horrific reports of another deadly attack in France, asking his Twitter followers: 'When will we learn?'
The 70-year-old said that to fight the terror group, which he called a 'cancer,' NATO should be used 'for a purpose.'
In another interview, Trump called for President Obama to acknowledge the problem was 'radical Islam.'
He also reiterated his call for the United States to tighten its borders and brought up his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the country as a solution.
As news broke of the attack, the billionaire real estate mogul tweeted: 'Another horrific attack, this time in Nice, France. Many dead and injured. When will we learn? It is only getting worse'.
In an interview with Fox News' Great van Susteren later on Thursday night, Trump said 'it's about time' Obama used the term 'radical Islam.'
Although not much is known yet about the attacks in Nice, Tump said: 'Generally speaking, I don't think the people come out of Sweden, OK?
'It's probably, possibly, but if it is indeed radical Islamic terrorism, it's about time that [Obama] would say so, OK?
'It's about time, because you're never gonna solve this problem unless you're gonna define it. People would sigh with relief. If it's radical Islamic terrorism, he oughta say it.'
Meanwhile, President Obama condemned what he said 'appears to be a horrific terrorist attack' in Nice.
Noting that the attack occurred on Bastille Day, Obama said: 'We are reminded of the extraordinary resilience and democratic values that have made France an inspiration to the entire world, and we know that the character of the French Republic will endure long after this devastating and tragic loss of life.'
Obama said the U.S. has offered French officials 'any assistance that they may need to investigate this attack and bring those responsible to justice.'
But Trump used the attacks as an opportunity to reiterate his plan of solving the problem of terrorism by placing a ban on Muslims coming into the country.
'We have to tighten things up. Look at San Bernardino, what happened there.
'You look at Paris, prior to this, 130 people dead. Hundreds of people still in the hospital. I mean, what are we doing? We're trying to be so nice. We're trying to be so civil.
'We're so weak, the world has got to strengthen up and we have to be very tight with our borders.'
On the attacks in Nice, Trump said: 'We're living in a whole different world that there's no respect for law and order. There's no respect for anything or anybody.
'This has to be dealt with very harshly. When I come out with my non-politically correct statements that a lot of people love and some people think are so terrible and then you have attacks like this and so many other attacks
'We have to get awfully tough and we have to get very, very smart and vigilant. And if we don't, we're just not going to have a society, we're not going to have a world anymore.'
Asked what he would do to address the problem of terrorism if he was president, Trump replied: 'Well, I'd be making it very, very hard for people to come into our country, for one thing, from terrorist areas.
'I would be so extreme in terms of documentation. Obama's allowing a lot of people to come in. No idea who they are. They're from Syria, maybe, but they have no paperwork.
'I would not allow people to come in from terrorist nations. I would do extreme vetting, I would call it extreme vetting too.
'Our country has tremendous problems. We don't need any more of the problems.'
In a separate interview on Fox, Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton said the U.S. needs to 'stand strongly' with France and strengthen alliances, including with NATO, in order to ferret out terrorism and prevent future attacks.
Clinton says she would intensify efforts to put together a more effective coalition against terrorism.
In the wake of a series of co-ordinated terror attacks that left 130 people dead in Paris on November 13 last year, Trump similarly seized the opportunity to blame stringent gun laws for the massacre.
At a campaign rally shortly afterwards, he told his supporters that it would have been a 'much different situation' if the victims had been armed.
He also said he would close some mosques to stop extremist attacks in the United States.
'You're going to have to watch and study the mosques because a lot of talk is going on at the mosques,' Trump said during an interview with MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' program in November last year.
Then, after a radicalized Muslim couple opened fire and killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, Trump controversially proposed a ban on all Muslim immigrants into the United States.
'Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on,' his campaign said in a release last December.
Despite a backlash, Trump stuck with his proposal. During Fox Business Network's GOP debate in January, Trump said: 'Look, we have to stop with political correctness.
'We have to get down to creating a country that's not going to have the kind of problems that we've had with people flying planes into the World Trade Centers, with the '-- with the shootings in California, with all the problems all over the world. ... We have to find out what's going on.'
Attack: Gunshots rang out in the streets, with gunmen reportedly targeting hotels and cafes in the port city with residents warned to lock themselves inside
Standing guard: A soldier is seen near the site of the attack on the French Riviera town of Nice after a van plouwed into a crowd leaving a fireworks display
Later, Trump began to stress the 'temporary nature' of his proposed ban.
'This is just a suggestion until we find out what's going on,' he said on Fox News radio in May.
But then, in a speech reacting to the massacre in Orlando in June, Trump reiterated his proposed Muslim ban '' despite the fact that the gunman was an American citizen, born in New York to Afghan parents.
'I called for a ban after San Bernardino and was met with great scorn and anger,' Trump said during a speech the day after the shooting.
'But now ... many are saying that I was right to do so. And although the pause is temporary, we must find out what is going on. We have to do it,' he said.
'It will be lifted, this ban, when and as a nation we're in a position to properly and perfectly screen these people coming into our country.'
Gunman Omar Mateen opened fire inside a gay nightclub on June 12, killing 49 people in what became the worst mass shooting in the United States.
ISIS quickly claimed credit for the attacks and authorities said Mateen called 911 during the massacre to pledge allegiance to the terror group.
Hours after the massacre, a gloating Trump took to Twitter to say: 'Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism. I don't want congrats. I want toughness and vigilance. We must be smart!'
Meanwhile, Trump said that in light of the attack in Nice, he will postpone a news conference scheduled for Friday in New York concerning his Vice-Presidential announcement.
After a day of speculation about who will join Trump on the GOP's presidential ticket, Trump wrote on Twitter: 'In light of the horrible attack in Nice, France, I have postponed tomorrow's news conference concerning my Vice Presidential announcement.'
Trump was set to formally announce the decision on his choice of running mate at an 11am news conference at a hotel in midtown Manhattan on Friday, with just three days to go until Republicans gather in Cleveland, Ohio, to officially select their nominee for the White House.
Trump's campaign advisers told Republican officials that the 70-year-old has picked Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate, two Republican sources told Reuters.
However, Trump officials said he had not yet made a final decision.
On Thursday, CNN and ABC both reported, without naming their sources, that Pence, a 57-year-old Christian evangelical and stalwart of the American right, had accepted the vice presidential slot.
But the announcement will now be delayed, Trump said on Thursday.
Late on Thursday, a truck drive onto the sidewalk and plowed through a crowd of revelers who'd been gathered to watch Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, France.
At least 80 people were killed and dozens injured, authorities say. The truck reportedly mounted the pavement at approximately 40mph and steered directly towards people watching a fireworks display in the city.
'We were at the Neptune beach and a firework display had just finished,' a witness called Antoine said. 'That is when we saw a white lorry. It was going quickly at 60-70 kilometres an hour.'
Gunshots rang out in the streets, with gunmen targeting hotels and cafes in the port city as residents were warned to lock themselves in doors for their safety.
The RAID anti-terror squad has been deployed to the city.
Hundreds of people were watching fireworks along the promenade when the attack began.
The gunman jumped out of the truck after plowing through the pedestrians and started opening fire.
Officials said the driver was shot dead near the scene. A second suspect is thought to be on the run.
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The head of France's intelligence agency has called on his government to allocate resources to the surveillance of ''far right'' organisations, warning the country could be on the verge of civil war thanks to public unrest over the handling of Islamic terrorism.Fielding questions behind closed doors from the Parliamentary Select Committee inquiry into the Paris attacks in November 2015, the transcript of which has today been released, Patrick Calvar, the head of the Directorate General of Internal Security (RPS) explained that it was not just an escalation of the terrorists' capabilities he feared, but also the subsequent response from what he termed the ''far right''.
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''We must absolutely not yield [to terrorism],'' he told the Committee on 24 May.
''I think we will win against terrorism; I am, however, more concerned about the radicalisation of society and the basic movement that drives it. That's what worries me when I talk with my European colleagues: we will have, at one time or another, to provide resources to deal with other extremist groups because confrontation is inevitable.''
Asked to clarify whether by ''extremist groups'' he meant the extreme right and left, Mr. Calvar replied: ''The far left is another matter. You will have a confrontation between the far right and the Muslim world '' not the Islamists, but the Muslim world.''
It is clear that Mr. Calvar sees the right wing response to Islamic terrorism being as much of a problem as the terrorism itself, and is determined to persuade the government to share his view.
The comments made at the inquiry follow remarks he made earlier in May before the National Defence Committee, in which he again warned of a rise in nationalism and asked for more resources to police community groups dedicated to fighting Islam.
''All of Europe is in danger of rising extremism so we are, domestically, trying to put in place the resources to watch far right groups who are waiting for confrontation,'' he told Parliamentarians.
''You'll recall that I like to use direct language; well, I think a confrontation will take place.
''If another attack or two occur, it will happen. It is therefore down to us to anticipate and confound all those groups who would, at some point, spark clashes between communities.
''The temptations of populism, border closures, the inability of Europe to give a joint response, failure to adopt legislation applicable everywhere; we face enormous problems. And I note, increasingly, a tendency to turn inward.''
A police source has told French paper L'Express that Mr. Calvar has made similar remarks when talking to policing organisations. ''Calvar fears a new terrorist attack, as it would prove that the state's resources are not adequate [to prevent terrorism],'' the source said. Mr. Calvar clearly believes such an event would lead to vigilantism by French patriots.
''With the rise of the Islamist risk, we have focused our surveillance on the jihadists in recent years. We have made less effort to watch the far right,'' the source noted.
But Mr. Calvar acknowledges that Islamic terrorism is the major threat to French security, and has warned of that risk increasing as the terrorists gain access to superior technology.
Islamic terrorists have long tried to construct dirty bombs using medical radioactive products, and have been attempting to develop ricin attacks to instil fear and panic into Western nations, he explained. But the fall of Saddam Hussein and the Syrian civil war has put advanced weapons into the hands of terrorists.
''If given the opportunity, they will export these weapons,'' he warned.
''The real challenge for them is to bring them here, especially because of the dangerousness of the products in question. So for now, they continue to use more basic attacks. [But] I'm sure they'll move beyond the stage of bombs and car bombs, and therefore increase their power.
''They will eventually train fighters whose mission it is to organise terrorist attacks without the use of suicide devices. For this, they need bombs [capable of remote detonation] and the ability to organise the logistics, that is to say, to settle in our territory and acquire the products needed.''
Follow Donna Rachel Edmunds on Twitter:or e-mail to: dedmunds@breitbart.com
"The truck drove very slowly." - Augenzeuge Gutjahr1. On 14 July 2016, "police shot and killed a driver, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, who drove a truck at high speed for over 100 yards along the seafront in Nice, hitting a mass of spectators.."France reels as Bastille Day attack leaves 84 dead in Nice
"The perpetrator, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, was a local 30-year-old career criminal, known to police."Niceterror attack: Driver who killed 84 on French Riviera was criminal known to police
On 24 March 2016, the truck driver, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, was given a six months suspended prison sentence for armed assault (an altercation following an accident traffic, committed with an improvised weapon, namely a pallet) carried out in January 2016.
Le conducteur du camion ./ Le Monde
...Police shooting at the cab of the truck.On 14 July 2016, "gunshots rang out in the streets, with gunmen targeting hotels and cafes in the port city in the south of France."
dailymail.
But, it looks like the truck driver was in the truck's cab."A pistol, several grenades and larger guns were reportedly among the items uncovered from the 25-tonne vehicle after the terrifying attack.
"Reports claim some of these weapons were fake."
terrorist massacre
"The Nice terrorist ... had been parked on the street for nearly nine hours and even told police he was delivering ice cream..."The killer ... was previously known to police for violence and theft...
"Despite allegedly questioning the driver, police officers in the southern French city did nothing to move him on as he waited to begin the attack.
"Heavy duty lorries are normally banned from the roads during national holidays and Sundays..."
dailymail.
...
"It is not clear how the truck was able to breach the barriers to the promenade closed for pedestrians and spectators during the 14th of July celebration.
"According to eye-witnesses, it took the police and firemen about half an hour to get to the scene.
"How is it possible that such a crowd is not 'protected' by patrolling police and military? And that in a country under effective Martial Law?"
The alleged killer, 31-year-old Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, "was not known ... to hold radical or Islamist views, the sources said."
Bastille Day Nice attacker 'was married with three children'
French television station BFM TV reported that he was a divorced father of three."He didn't pray and liked girls and Salsa," according to BFM's crime correspondent.
According to BFMTV "he had also recently caused an accident after falling asleep at the wheel while working as a delivery driver, and was taken into custody following the incident."
"Police found ... a number of fake weapons and grenades in his vehicle after the attack."
Who is the Nice terror attack suspect? Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel
2. Israel gets what it wants.The President of France says: "I will now announce that the state of emergency which was meant to be lifted will be extended a further three months."Following this we will show real force and military action in Iraq and Syria"
dailymail.
Allegedly, in France, Israel recruits people for ISIS.The Likudnik Donald Trump gains from the CIA-MOSSAD Strategy of Tension.TRUMP, PENCE.
3. There is a belief that drivers can be mind controlled and terror incidents can be faked.On 22 December 2014 a bin lorry collided with pedestrians in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland, killing six and injuring fifteen others.
[1][2][3][4][5]
The driver of the council-owned vehicle, Harry Clarke, said he had passed out at the wheel.
Are these drivers themselves victims of MK ULTRA mind control?...
6. In December 2014, two men ploughed their cars into pedestrians in two days - separate incidents "that left France reeling."
The first driver allegedly shouted 'Allahu Akbar' (God is greatest) as he drove into people in the eastern city of Dijon, injuring 13.
"The 40-year-old driver had a long history of mental illness, and no ties to jihadist groups, the government said.
"A day later, a man rammed a white van into a Christmas market in the western city of Nantes, killing one person and injuring nine others. He then stabbed himself several times.
"Prosecutors said a notebook was found in his vehicle in which he spoke of his 'hatred for society' and said he feared 'being killed by secret agents'."
The man 'committed suicide' in his prison cell in 2016 while awaiting trial.
dailymail.
Above we see "the Stade de France bomber Bilal Hadfi". The spooks use the kids for child abuse rings and then for acts of false flag terrorism.
Aangirfan: PARIS ATTACK CONSPIRACY, INSIDE JOB, PSY-OP.aanirfan.blogspot.com/2015/11/paris-attack-like-mumbai-attack-and.html13 Nov 2015 - The building was where the alleged Paris Attacks mastermind Abdelhamid Abaaoud was said to be hiding. The special forces killed Diesel, ...Aangirfan: PARIS TERRORISTS 'WORKED FOR THE SECURITY ...aanirfan.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-mysterious-terrorists-in-paris.html13 Nov 2015 - Salah's friend Abdelhamid Abaaoud (Abou Omar el-Belgiki), is now suspected of being the 'mastermind' of the Friday 13th attack in Paris.You've visited this page 2 times. Last visit: 18/03/16
Black Lives Matter (BLM) supporters have claimed the deadly terrorist attack in France was ''to make people lose attention'' [sic] in their movement and focus on ''white'' lives instead.''Ok I've come to the conclusion that what happened in Nice was to make people lose attention off [sic] #BlackLivesMatter and focus and unite against us'', wrote Twitter user Semsa, who is based in London but says ''Egypt's the motherland''. She has since made her account private.
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''Don't #PrayForNice we are fighting a civil war against whites. #BLM'', tweeted Franklin Omar, an activist who also appears to be from London, and describes himself as a ''Muslim''.
''I'm seeing all this ignorant hate for Muslims. THESE PEOPLE AREN'T MUSLIM. #PrayForNice #Nice #NotAllMuslims'', wrote Mr. Omar later. Adding:
''Your women are ours now. Allah (pbuh) has promised them to us. Piss off white crusader, watch as Rome burns'', and, ''lol we've already won Europe, USA can't do anything against the caliphate white pussy, USA men cant fuck, good luck.''
''It's sad to see all these people saying Pray for Nice, France but you guys can't even say Black Lives Matter'', tweeted California-based model and BLM supporter Klarivel Garcia.
''As sad as it is to hear about France I'm even more sad [sic] that now the media will push #BlackLivesMatter even further back in the que [sic]'', wrote a Los Angeles-based BLM activist.
''Lol why did these haters tweet me about my #BlackLivesMatter comment. Guess what #BlackLivesMatter #BlackLivesMatter #BlackLivesMatter'', she added after other users criticised the comment.
Hacktivist group Anonymous and Black Lives Matter had announced a so-called ''day of rage'' to be held today, the day after the deadly terrorist attack in southern French city.
''Once again we are calling upon the citizens of the United States, in conjunction with the Black Lives Matter movement as well as other civil rights activists, to participate in a day of action against the injustices of corrupt officers,'' Anonymous declared in a video.
Last night, at least 84 people died in Nice, including children, after a lorry slammed through a crowd celebrating Bastille Day, France's national day.
Identification papers found in the truck point to a 31-year-old Nice resident that held dual French and Tunisian citizenship. French President Fran§ois Hollande declared it an ''undeniable'' terrorist attack.
[3:32 PM, 7/15/2016] Agent Orange: Something going on in turkey. Army tanks in the streets of Ankara. Military in the streets if instantly. F16 flying over very low in Ankara.
Helicopter fired at Turkish Intel HQ
Military in the streets if Istanbul
YouTube twitter Facebook down including newspapers
[5:22 PM, 7/15/2016] Agent Orange: Germany rejected asylum now he's trying UK
[5:25 PM, 7/15/2016] Agent Orange: Turkish military has blocked off incirlik airbase where B61 nukes are
[5:27 PM, 7/15/2016] Agent Orange: Air strikes on erdogans palaceŞeyh Pir on Twitter“Ak saray önü son dakika ateş açılma anı #SokağaSakınÇıkma #Ankara https://t.co/DkI1lblwQm”twitter.com
Operation Valkyrie (German: Unternehmen Walk¼re) was a German World War II emergency continuity of government operations plan issued to the Territorial Reserve Army of Germany to execute and implement in case of a general breakdown in civil order of the nation. Failure of the government to maintain control of civil affairs might have been caused by the Allied bombing of German cities, or uprising of the millions of foreign forced laborers working in German factories.
German Army (Heer) officers General Friedrich Olbricht, Major General Henning von Tresckow, and Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg modified the plan with the intention of using it to take control of German cities, disarm the SS, and arrest the Nazi leadership once Hitler had been assassinated in the 20 July plot. Hitler's death (as opposed to his arrest) was required to free German soldiers from their oath of loyalty to him (Reichswehreid). After lengthy preparation, the plot was activated in 1944, but failed.
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The original plan, designed to deal with internal disturbances in emergency situations, was designed by General Friedrich Olbricht's staff in his capacity as head of General Army Office and was approved by Hitler.[1] The idea of using the Reserve Army in the German homeland for a coup existed before, but the refusal of Colonel-General Friedrich Fromm, Chief of the Reserve Army and the only person who could initiate Operation Valkyrie besides Hitler, to cooperate, was a serious obstacle to the conspirators. Nevertheless, after the lessons of a failed assassination attempt on 13 March 1943, Olbricht felt that the original coup plan was inadequate and that the Reserve Army should be used in the coup even without Fromm's cooperation.
The original Valkyrie order only dealt with strategy to ensure combat readiness of units among scattered elements of the Reserve Army. Olbricht added a second part, 'Valkyrie II' which provided for the swift mustering of units into battle groups ready for action. In August and September 1943, General Henning von Tresckow found Olbricht's revision inadequate, thus greatly expanded the Valkyrie plan and drafted new supplementary orders. A secret declaration began with the words: "The F¼hrer Adolf Hitler is dead! A treacherous group of party leaders has attempted to exploit the situation by attacking our embattled soldiers from the rear to seize power for themselves." Detailed instructions were written for occupation of government ministries in Berlin, Himmler's headquarters in East Prussia, radio stations, telephone exchanges, other Nazi infrastructure through military districts, and concentration camps.[1] (Previously, it was believed that Colonel Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg was mainly responsible for the Valkyrie plan, but documents recovered by the Soviet Union after the war and released in 2007 suggest that a detailed plan was developed by Tresckow in autumn 1943.)[2] All documents were handled by Tresckow's wife, Erika, and by Margarete von Oven, his secretary. Both women wore gloves to leave no fingerprints.[3]
In essence, the plan was to trick the Reserve Army into the seizure and removal of the civilian government of wartime Germany under the false pretense that the SS had attempted a coup d'tat and assassinated Hitler. The key requirement was that the rank-and-file soldiers and junior officers who were supposed to execute this plan would be motivated to do so based upon their false belief that it was the Nazi civilian leadership who had behaved with disloyalty and treason against the state, and were therefore required to be removed. The conspirators counted on the soldiers to obey their orders as long as they came from the legitimate channel '-- namely, the Reserve Army High Command in the emergency situation following Hitler's death. Apart from Hitler, only General Friedrich Fromm, commander of the Reserve Army, could activate Operation Valkyrie. Therefore, Fromm had to either be won over to the conspiracy, or in some way neutralized for the plan to succeed. Fromm, like many senior officers, largely knew about the military conspiracies against Hitler, but neither supported them nor reported them to the Gestapo.
The key role in its actual implementation was played by Colonel Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, after his assassination attempt on Hitler on 20 July 1944. Stauffenberg also further improved the Valkyrie plan and made changes to address changing situations. Stauffenberg's position as Chief of Staff of the Reserve Army gave him access to Hitler for reports and at the same time required his presence at headquarters for implementation of Valkyrie. At first, Tresckow and Stauffenberg sought out other officers with access to Hitler who could carry out the assassination. General Helmuth Stieff, Chief of Organization in Army High Command, volunteered to be the assassin but later backed down. Tresckow attempted several times to be assigned to Hitler's headquarters without success. Finally, Stauffenberg decided to carry out both the assassination attempt and the Valkyrie operation, which greatly reduced the chance of success. After two abortive attempts, Stauffenberg placed the bomb on 20 July and hurried back to Berlin to assume his pivotal role.
Discovering that the bomb had not killed Hitler, Fromm ordered the executions of General Friedrich Olbricht, his chief of staff Colonel Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, and his adjutant Lieutenant Werner von Haeften. Shortly after midnight, the condemned men were led to a mound of earth back-lit by idling vehicles where each was executed by firing squad in the courtyard of Bendlerstrasse headquarters.[4]
Initial order to the WehrkreiseEditI. The F¼hrer Adolf Hitler is dead!
An unscrupulous clique of party leaders alien to the front has attempted, under the exploitation of this situation, to betray the hard-struggling front and to seize power for their own selfish purposes.II. In this hour of greatest danger, the government of the Reich has declared a state of military emergency for the maintenance of law and order and at the same time has transferred the executive power, with the supreme command of the Wehrmacht, to me.
III. With this, I order:
1. I transfer the executive power '' with the right of delegation, to the territorial commanders '' on the home front, to the commander of the army reserves under the simultaneous appointment to the supreme commander in the homeland war '' in the occupied western area, to the supreme commander west '' in Italy, to the supreme commander southwest '' in the occupied eastern area, to the supreme commander of the army groups and the commander of the Wehrmacht eastern land for their respective area of command '' in Denmark and Norway, to the Wehrmacht commander.2. The holders of executive power have control over:a) all sections and units of the Wehrmacht, including the Waffen-SS, RAD and the OT, within their area of command;b) all public authorities (of the Reich, Germany, the states and the municipalities), especially the entire law enforcement police, security police and administrative police;c) all office bearers and subdivisions of the NSDAP and those of its affiliated associations;d) the transportation services and public utilities3. The entire Waffen-SS is integrated into the army with immediate effect.4. The holders of executive power are responsible for the maintenance of public order and security. They especially have to ensure:a) the protection of communicationsb) the elimination of the SD (Security Service).Any opposition to the military power of enforcement is to be ruthlessly crushed.In this hour of highest danger for the Fatherland, unity of the Wehrmacht and the maintenance of full discipline are the uppermost requirements.That is why I make it the duty of all commanders of the army, the navy, and the air force to support the holders of executive power in carrying out their difficult task with all means at their disposal and to guarantee the compliance of their directives by the subordinate sections. The German soldier stands before a historical task. It will depend on his energy and attitude whether Germany will be saved.
In film and televisionEditBibliographyEditEnglishEditPhilipp von Boeselager, "Valkyrie: The Plot to Kill Hitler, trans. Steven Rendall, Phoenix (Weidenfeld and Nicolson), 2009 (ISBN 978-0-7538-2566-2)Joachim Fest, Plotting Hitler's Death: The German Resistance to Hitler, 1933''1945, 1996 (ISBN 0-8050-5648-3)Hans Bernd Gisevius, Valkyrie: An Insider's Account of the Plot to Kill Hitler, 2009 reprint of one volume abridgement of two volume text, To the Bitter End, 1947. Foreword by Allen Welsh Dulles, introduction by Peter Hoffmann. Translated by Richard and Clara Winston; Da Capo Press, Cambridge, MA (ISBN 978-0-306-81771-7)Nigel Jones, Countdown to Valkyrie: The July Plot to Assassinate Hitler. Frontline, 2008 (ISBN 9781848325081)GermanEditHelena Page, General Friedrich Olbricht: Ein Mann des 20. Julis, 1993, Bouvier Verlag, Bonn ISBN 3-416-02514-8Dr. phil. Gerd R. Uebersch¤r: Auf dem Weg zum 20. Juli 1944, Motive und Entwicklung der Milit¤ropposition gegen Hitler.,[1]Bernd R¼thers: Spiegelbild einer Verschw¶rung '' Zwei Abschiedsbriefe zum 20. Juli 1944. Juristenzeitung 14/2005, pp. 689''698Hans-Adolf Jacobsen (Hrsg.): Spiegelbild einer Verschw¶rung. Die Opposition gegen Hitler und der Staatsstreich vom 20. Juli 1944 in der SD-Berichterstattung. Geheime Dokumente aus dem ehemaligen Reichssicherheitshauptamt. 2 Vol., Stuttgart 1984Peter Hoffmann: Widerstand, Staatsstreich, Attentat. Der Kampf der Opposition gegen Hitler. Munich 1985 Montserrat (reissue)NotesEdit^ abJoachim Fest, Plotting Hitler's Death: The German Resistance to Hitler, 1933''1945, 1996, p219^Peter Hoffmann, "Oberst i. G. Henning von Tresckow und die Staatsstreichpl¤ne im Jahr 1943^Joachim Fest, Plotting Hitler's Death: The German Resistance to Hitler, 1933''1945, 1996, p220^Rupert Butler, The Gestapo: A History of Hitler's Secret Police 1933-45. London: Amber Books Ltd. 2004. pg. 149.
[6:26 PM, 7/15/2016] Agent Orange: Yes
[6:26 PM, 7/15/2016] Adam Curry: The 1944 op or this one?
[6:44 PM, 7/15/2016] Adam Curry: In holding pattern
[6:50 PM, 7/15/2016] Agent Orange: Was not allowed to land in Istanbul so jet returned to izmir
[7:00 PM, 7/15/2016] Adam Curry: Ok dude. Welterusten. Thanks!Ross Kemp Rojava - The Fight Against ISISRoss Kemp Rojava - The Fight Against ISIS 2016www.youtube.com
[6:11 AM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: Adam I have to correct myself assassination of AH was on July 20 1944
[6:11 AM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: The go for Valkyrie was on July 16 1944
[9:25 AM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: Countries who help or support Gulen are at war with Turkey
[9:44 AM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: Why was the transponder of his Gulfstream on
[9:44 AM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: One manpad and he's gone
[9:46 AM, 7/16/2016] Adam Curry: My thinking as well. Also he submitted the Gülen extradition request 3 days before this "coup"
[9:46 AM, 7/16/2016] Adam Curry: But Kerry, Nuland and Biden in. Moscow is suspicious
[9:48 AM, 7/16/2016] Adam Curry: And if this was CIA/NATO op as some claim, it probably wouldn't have failed.
[9:49 AM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: No all US social media would be down including FaceTime Skype
[9:49 AM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: If they were involved
[9:49 AM, 7/16/2016] Adam Curry: Agreed
[9:50 AM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: Facebook twitter nstagram were down but not FaceTime and skype
[9:50 AM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: And erdogan used an iphone
[9:51 AM, 7/16/2016] Adam Curry: Maybe US collaborated?
[9:51 AM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: He said that after his interview an F16 dropped a bomb on the hotel in marmaris
[9:52 AM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: Why not wait until he is in his Gulfstream and splash that in the air
[9:53 AM, 7/16/2016] Adam Curry: It was a nice show.
[9:53 AM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: And it will happen again in the future
[9:53 AM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: It's part of turkey's history
[9:54 AM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: But erdogan starts to look more and more like adolf
[9:54 AM, 7/16/2016] Adam Curry: Just hard to believe US mil isn't involved when they bring out loaded F16's and Cobras
[9:54 AM, 7/16/2016] Adam Curry: The AH comparison with Valkyrie is interesting
[9:55 AM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: With my last remark I'm referring to how erdogan spoke he survived he is the leader Allah is on my side etc etc
[9:58 AM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: I'll be in Berlin on the 20th for the commemorations at the Bentlerblock where Valkyrie started and count von Stauffenberg was shot
[10:00 AM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: Today the buildings are still used by German army
[10:20 AM, 7/16/2016] Adam Curry: After some thought: perhaps this was just a warning shot from the US (and possibly with Putin) towards Erdogan:
"Shape up or ship out".Erdogan gives Turkish military immunityPresident Erdogan has handed wide-ranging legal immunity to the Turkish military, in the latest sign of a détente between the former enemies. A bill signed off by Mr Erdogan on Wednesday and...www.thetimes.co.uk
[1:07 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: And.... Obama is playing golf 😂😂😂
[1:35 PM, 7/16/2016] Adam Curry: Game on.
[1:35 PM, 7/16/2016] Adam Curry: In more than one way :-)
[1:40 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: Owwwww he is now in the situation room
[2:49 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: Erdogan zat in Hotel Grand Yazici Club Turban
[2:49 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: Daar liggen de hulzen
[4:27 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: Explosions and gunfire within Incirlik AFB
[4:27 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: Shit is about to hit the fan
[4:47 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: TSK is flying over base. Sonic booms
[4:50 PM, 7/16/2016] Adam Curry: Geez.
[4:51 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: But Turkish base commander apparently has been arrested
[4:59 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: Some Americans are really stupid MORONS: it is widely known and also told to servicemembers and family not to disclose where a family member is if they are based in an hostile area. For OPSEC reasons this is a NO.
[5:00 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: Why are all those parents and spouses writing on the open Facebook page of the AFB: ow my son is there ow my daughter, husband etc
[5:12 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: Turkish labor minister blames USA for coup
[5:13 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: He just said it on Habertürk
[5:25 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: Nothing to hear and see here😉
[5:25 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: Just forwarded pictures of Turkish parlaiment to you. A lot of damage
[5:40 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: US forces in EUROPE are ready to prevent another benghazi if shit hits the fan
[5:40 PM, 7/16/2016] Adam Curry: Parliament photos
[5:41 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: Just spoke to EUCOM commander for 5 min
[5:42 PM, 7/16/2016] Adam Curry: And?
[5:43 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: OW and the 82nd Airborne Division has an unscheduled Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise for this coming week
[5:43 PM, 7/16/2016] Adam Curry: uh huh
[5:43 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: They will be the ones going in first
[5:53 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: Regarding Incirlik AFB: 2 wks ago erdogan offered Putin to also use the base
[5:53 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: To fight isis
[5:54 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: This starts to look like the Manas AFB case in Kyrgyzstan
[7:00 PM, 7/16/2016] Adam Curry: Whoever 'those guys' were shooting up the hotel (nothing reported here about that) they fucked up the whole operation. No coup without an arrested or killed president!
[7:02 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: Helicopter landed on the beach of hotel and that's how erdogan got away
[7:02 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: Soldiers were also shooting from the helicopter
[7:10 PM, 7/16/2016] Agent Orange: There are also 250 Germans there including german fast movers
France would show "real force and military action in Syria and Iraq".-Nice attacker named as ISIS fanatic Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel | Daily Mail Online
Police today arrested the wife of the ISIS fanatic who killed 84 people including at least ten children in Nice using a lorry and a handgun.
It has been revealed that killer Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, 31, a French Tunisian and married father of three, was depressed about the break up of his marriage before he mounted pavements at high speed and ploughed through crowds celebrating Bastille Day in Nice last night.
He had separated from wife Hajer some two years ago following a series of violent arguments, and he was said to have been upset in recent months as their divorce had been finalised.
Today Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said police have arrested his wife, as detectives try to establish his motives and if he had accomplices.
Dramatic footage released today shows the moment he was shot dead by five police officers in the 19-tonne lorry he used as a murder weapon on his mile-long killing spree.
One eyewitness filmed armed officers approaching the cab of the lorry and firing repeatedly through its windscreen and doors before it appears Bouhlel can be heard screaming after being hit by a police bullet and he died slumped in the passenger seat.
Witness Nadar El Shafei told the BBC: 'He died inside the vehicle - I saw his head [hanging] out of the window, they kept shooting him from all sides just to be sure. Then they asked us to run away in case there were others inside the car or a bomb.'
WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT
Monster: Truck terrorist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel who murdered 84 on Bastille Day in Nice, was described by a cousin as a 's***' and a 'nasty piece of work' who never observed the rules of Islam
Shootout: Police approach the cab where the gunman, named locally as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, went on his rampage. It is not clear if this was taken as he was killed after this picture was taken with one witness saying he may have been hanging out of a window
Intense fighting: Police fired dozens of rounds into the cab of the lorry after its mile-long rampage with witnesses saying the suspect was firing out of the cab and died
Last stand: One eyewitness filmed armed officers approaching the cab of the lorry and firing through its windscreen and doors before it appears Bouhlet can be heard screaming after being hit by a police bullet
Terror attack: At least 84 people were killed and dozens more critically injured last night when a terrorist killer, named locally as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, drove this truck, riddled with bullets, through crowds celebrating Bastille day in Nice
End: The police said today that French Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel died in the passenger seat of this 19-tonne truck after a shoot-out
Murder weapon: The key suspect is said to have been parked up for nine hours before carrying out the attack and may have been stopped by police but claimed he was delivering ice cream. In fact the back of his lorry contained many weapons and grenades
Horrifying: Police and forensics teams inspect bodies in the French sunshine where at least ten died and 50 injured - many of them in buggies left abandoned today
Disaster zone: Bodies lie along the promenade showing the devastating route the lorry took as it went through huge crowds
Terror investigation: The French authorities say it is their third terrorist atrocity in 18 months and admit it could take some time to identify all the dead
Atrocity: At least a dozen bodies of victims covered by sheets remain at the scene of the terror attack today as the authorities try to identify them
United in grief: Parents of victims embrace each other near the scene of a truck attack in Nice where more than 80 were killed
Tears for the lost: Two young women, obviously grief-stricken, lay flowers and messages for the many people killed and injured in Nice last night
Broken: President Hollande has called for France to unite and said the world was again watching their country after another terror attack
Path of destruction: After spending several hours parked up the killer went on a half hour rampage along the world famous Promenade des Anglais in Nice before he was shot dead by a hero policewoman
NICE TERRORIST ATTACK: THE STORY SO FAR Here is what we know so far about the lorry attack in Nice.
A terrorist drove a truck through crowds celebrating Bastille Day on Thursday night in the seaside city of Nice on the French Riviera, killing at least 84 people, including several children.
Eyewitnesses said the driver swerved from side to side to kill as many people as possible as he drove for hundreds of metres along the Promenade des Anglais on the seafront.
Christian Estrosi, the regional president in Nice, said at least 10 children were among the dead, and the death toll is expected to rise.
A "small number" of Britons are injured.
French authorities confirmed 202 people were wounded, 25 of which are on life support, while 52 are in a critical condition.
The attacker is reported to be 31-year-old Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a man of French-Tunisian origin who was not known to intelligence services.
One witness said the driver produced a gun before being shot by police.
No hostages were taken and the lorry driver was "neutralised", with authorities investigating if he was acting alone.
Mr Estrosi said guns and grenades were found in the lorry.
As the sun rose on Friday morning, the lorry could still be seen where it finally came to a halt, its windscreen peppered with bullet holes.
France has declared three days of national mourning following the atrocity.
French president Francois Hollande said the country's state of emergency would be extended for another three months.
A military operation is in place allowing the mobilisation of 10,000 troops.
Mr Hollande said the country's borders were being tightened, as he vowed that France would show "real force and military action in Syria and Iraq".
London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced he will be "reviewing our own safety measures" following the attack.
A Rihanna concert scheduled for Friday night at the Allianz Riviera stadium in Nice has been cancelled, as have the city's jazz festival, which was due to run from Saturday to Wednesday, and some of the Bastille celebrations over the weekend.
The shootout came after his 30 minute rampage where he aimed at crowds watching fireworks and sent 'bodies flying like bowling pins' and left others 'jammed' under the lorry's wheels at around 10.30pm local time last night.
This evening the death toll stands at 84 with another 202 injured. Of those 52 are in hospital in a critical condition and 25 of them are on life support machines.
Heartbroken men and women refused to leave the bodies of their loved ones and the dead remain strewn across the famous Promenade des Anglais today. Hundreds have now laid flowers in their memory as President Hollande said 'many foreigners have died' with at least 50 more people 'between life and death'.
French citizens, two Americans, one Armenian and one Ukrainian are among the dead with several Britons among the injured while dozens of panicked people have posted images of loved-ones still missing using the hashtags #Nice06 and #recherchenice.
At least ten of the victims were children, with young girls and boys lying dead covered in a blankets with their dolls and buggies still next to them. Footage taken at the time of the attack shows bodies piled up in the roads and people running from their lives as they tried to avoid the zig-zagging lorry while paramedics treated the injured and dying in the street.
The truck driver, who was known to police, was said to have shouted 'Allahu Akbar' '' God is great in Arabic '' before being killed in a clear suicide mission. Pro-ISIS groups have been celebrating the attack, orchestrated to coincide with France's most important national holiday.
A huge cache of guns, grenades and 'larger weapons' and the terrorist's identity papers were later found inside the lorry, which mounted the pavement at approximately 40mph and steered directly towards hundreds of people watching a fireworks display.
ISIS supporters have been celebrating the attack, orchestrated to coincide with France's most important national holiday. The gunman was known to police for crimes of theft and violence, but not intelligence services, a police source said. A suspected accomplice is on the run.
France today declared three days of national mourning after the truck attack - its third major terror attack in 18 months - and President Francois Hollande said: 'France is in tears, it is hurting but it is strong and she will be stronger - always stronger than the fanatics who wish to hurt us.'
Truck terrorist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel was an 'unlikely jihadist' who flouted every rule of Islam, his cousin told MailOnline today.
The 31-year-old - who wreaked terror on the Nice seafront as he turned an evening celebrating Bastille Day into a night of terror in which he murdered 84 innocent people - drank alcohol, ate pork and took drugs.
He never prayed or attended a mosque, and hit his wife - with whom he had three children - and was in the process of getting a divorce.
Bouhlel, who had been known to the French police since January, had been on the radar for six months for petty criminality.
It is understood he lost his job as a delivery driver when he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into four cars.
Yesterday, he was stopped by police just hours before he crushed scored of people underneath the wheels of his 25 tonne truck and fired shots indiscriminately at police and innocent bystanders.
He told officers that he was delivering ice-cream to the area and was allowed to park on the waterfront for several hours.
Horrifying footage of the moment the truck turned into a deadly juggernaut were uploaded online within minutes, showing a trail of dead bodies left in its path.
Walid Hamou, a cousin of Bouhlel's wife Hajer, told MailOnline: 'Bouhlel was not religious. He did not go to the mosque, he did not pray, he did not observe Ramadan.
'He drank alcohol, ate pork and took drugs. This is all forbidden under Islam. He was not a Muslim, he was a s***. He beat his wife, my cousin, he was a nasty piece of work.'
Detectives had raided the 12th floor apartment she had shared with her estranged husband in the early hours of the morning and another rented property nearby.
More disturbing facts emerged about Bouhlel's frame of mind in the hours leading to his murderous rampage on the Promenade des Anglais.
Wissam, a Tunisian neighbour from the same village as the driver claimed: 'On the Thursday night he was drinking with a colleague and they argued. His pal said you're worth nothing and he replied: 'One day, you'll hear about me.'
Speaking to L'Express he said: Look this is someone who drinks, smokes cannabis.'
Bouhlel's wife was taken into protective custody by police this morning was held for questioning on Friday, a police source said, adding investigators are seeking to establish his motives and are also looking for possible accomplices.
The Nice terrorist rented the lorry two days earlier and had been parked on the street for nearly nine hours and even told police he was delivering ice cream before carrying out his deadly attack, according to reports.
The killer, who was previously known to police for violence and theft, is reported to have had assault rifles, a pistol and even a grenade with him in the lorry - but they went undiscovered.
Despite allegedly questioning the driver, police officers in the southern French city did nothing to move him on as he waited to begin the attack.
He was shot dead by a police officer, believed to have been female, after he opened fire into a crowd of fleeing people. A motorcyclist tried to stop the rampage by drawing level with the truck and attempting to open the door of its cab before he fell and ended up under its wheels.
Today the delivery truck, riddled with bullets, remains in the centre of Nice with bodies strewn nearby.
TRUCK TERRORIST LAHOUAIEJ BOUHLEL KNOWN TO POLICE FOR ABUSE, THEFT AND 'USE OF WEAPONS'Killer Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel was known to police for violent abuse, theft and 'use of weapons' before he embarked on a rampage that would leave 84 dead.
He had been arrested following a brawl in a pub on January 27 and his last appearance in a criminal court was as recent as March, when he was found guilty of violent contact.
Delivery driver Bouhlel had also recently been put under probation after he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into four vehicles on a highway, it is claimed in Spanish newspaper El Mundo.
However, the man had never been associated with any acts of terrorism before the Bastille Day slaughter, and he was not under surveillance.
Several of his relatives and close friends have been taken into police custody for questioning and simultaneous raids are continuing in the Abattoirs area of Nice.
Neighbours of Bouhlel described him as a 'lonely' and 'silent' man, with one saying he never returned their greetings.
Meanwhile, investigators are using the city's 1,200 surveillance cameras to track the route of the lorry before the attack.
It is understood that Bouhlel had rented the truck on Wednesday from a specialist garage at Saint Laurent du Var by Nice Airport.
Police have discovered CCTV footage of the moment he boarded the lorry in the hills around Nice, according to reports.
It has also been claimed he was parked on the promenade for nearly nine hours before the attack, but was allowed to stay because he told police he was delivering ice cream.
Documents found in the cab included an ID, a mobile phone and a credit card.
Security sources said a huge cache of guns, grenades and 'larger weapons' were later found inside the lorry.
Bereft: A shocked woman in yellow sits on the phone next to the body of a loved-one, surrounded by debris, as ISIS terrorists again struck in France, this time on Bastille Day, killing at least 84
Alone: A man sits in silence and clasps his hands while sitting at the head of a body killed in France's third major terrorist attack in 18 months
Shootout: After zig-zagging through crowds the terrorist fired on crowds before a police marksman shot him dead
Aftermath: This photograph was taken in the moments after the lorry crashed through crowds of people in the devastating terror attack
Panic: People were seen running for their lives after a suspected terrorist drove through crowds of people celebrating Bastille Day then got out and opened fire
Fight for life: An injured young woman wounded in the terror attack is treated in the street by a paramedic as dozens more fight for their lives today
Police halted the truck after firing more than 40 rounds into the cab as it ploughed through more than 100 people in Nice last night
Details of those killed are slowly emerging in the aftermath of the attack.
Twenty-eight-year-old Hamza Charrihi held up an identity card belonging to her mother who was killed in the attack.
She told L'Express: ' She wore the veil of Islam and practiced a true and balanced religion'...a real Islam. Not the one of the terrorists.'
Recovering from shock in a University building in the centre of Nice, turned into a shelter for relatives, she spoke briefly to pay testament to the memory of her mother.
Damien Allemand, a journalist for French regional newspaper Nice Matin saw the horror unfold.
He said the attack began just as the fireworks display ended as thousands of people were milling around the waterside.
He said: 'He rode up onto the Prom and piled into the crowd. A fraction of a second later, an enormous white truck came along at a crazy speed, turning the wheel to mow down the maximum number of people,' he said. I saw bodies flying like bowling pins along its route. Heard noises, cries that I will never forget.'
Witnesses of the attack in Nice described seeing people run through the streets as they heard gunshots.
Wassim Bouhel told the French TV channel iTele that the lorry zigzagged across the road.
He said: 'We almost died. It was like hallucinating ... (the lorry) zigzagged - you had no idea where it was going. My wife was a metre away.
'The lorry ripped through everything, poles, trees. We have never seen anything like it. Some people were hanging on the door and tried to stop it.'
Neighbours of the man suspected to have killed scores of people in a truck attack on the Nice seafront described him Friday as a loner with no visible religious affiliation, as forensic experts searched his flat.
AFP reporters interviewed about a dozen neighbours of the man, named by police as 31-year-old Franco-Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, whose identity papers were found in the truck.
They portrayed him as a solitary figure who rarely spoke and did not even return greetings when their paths crossed in the four-storey block, located in a working-class neighbourhood of Nice.
Sebastien, a neighbour who spoke on condition that his full name was not used, said Lahouaiej-Bouhlel did not seem overtly religious, often dressed in shorts and sometimes wore work boots.
He had a van parked nearby and owned a bike, which he brought up into his first-floor apartment.
Of those who were interviewed, only one, a neighbour on the ground floor, said she had had any concerns about him - he was 'a good-looking man who kept giving my two daughters the eye.'
Respect: Huge crowds have gathered in Promenades des Anglais with the lorry in the background this afternoon
United: A young boy leaves a bouquet of white flowers in Promenades des Anglais today surrounded by people of all races and religions
A woman and two children pay flowers tribute outside the French embassy in Moscow, Russia, after a Russian national died in Nice
Police investigators and forensic experts entered his apartment around 9.30am with an armed police intervention unit in support, and brought out bags of material later.
At least 84 people were killed when the white 19-tonne truck slammed into the crowd on the Promenade des Anglais, Nice's glitzy beachfront, as they gathered to watch a firework display on France's national day.
Russian student Victoria Savchenko, 21, was killed instantly when she was hit by the truck as she walked with her friend Polina Serebryannikova, 22, in Nice last night.
Polina today described how she saw the truck career through the crowd just moments before it hit Victoria, a student at the Russian government's elite Financial University in Moscow.
Sean Copeland, 51, and his 11-year-old son Brodie, who were on vacation in France at the time of the attack, have been confirmed dead by friends and family online.
Haley Copeland wrote on Facebook: 'By now many of you have heard about the 80 people that have died in Nice, France today from a terrorist attack driving through a parade.
'2 of those 80 people were American and those 2 people happen to be uncle Sean and 11 year old cousin Brodie.
'They were there on vacation with my two other cousins and aunt celebrating a birthday.'
Home: Police searched the apartment of Nice terrorist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel today as well as another van left near the property
Turned over: Officers pulled out drawers, went through cupboards and tested surfaces in the property in the north of Nice today
Probe: French police search a lorry and the apartment of Nice terrorist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel today as they work out why he did it
Forensics: Officers go over another rental lorry close to the home of suspect Bouhlel - but the company that loaned him a lorry have refused to comment today
People posted images of friends, brothers and sisters, mothers and numerous young people who they have been unable to reach since at least 84 people were killed in the southern French city.
Many others of the heartbreaking messages posted on Twitter include photos of mothers and daughters, young people, and show screenshots of frantic messages sent to the missing, with no reply.
Around 100 people were forced to dive into the sea as panic ensued and holiday crowds desperately ran for their lives. The gunman then jumped out of the truck and opened fire, which is when he was shot dead by police.
French President Francois Hollande said several children were among the dead and added that it was 'undeniable' the massacre was a terrorist attack.
He said the truck attack was done 'to satisfy the cruelty of an individual, and maybe a group.' Speaking after visiting the hospital where victims were treated, he also said that France was 'facing a struggle which will be long.'
Anti-terror police swooped in as the city was put on lockdown and residents were warned to stay indoors for their safety. Gunshots rang out in the streets, with the gunman targeting hotels and cafes in the port city in the south of France.
One witness called Antoine said: 'We were at the Neptune beach and a firework display had just finished. That is when we saw a white lorry. It was going quickly at 60-70 kilometres an hour.'
Eyewitness Wassim Bouhlel said that he saw a truck drive into the crowd and then witnessed the man emerge with a gun and start shooting.
'There was carnage on the road,' Bouhlel said. 'Bodies everywhere.'
Bodies could be seen lying on the floor by the beach, as the police and other emergency services tried to deal with a mass panic.
Interpol is sending a response team to the French city of Nice to help identify victims and aid in the investigation into the truck attack that left at least 84 people dead.
According to the international police organization, the team will include anti-terrorism specialists.
Victoria Savchenko (pictured left), 21, was killed instantly when she was walking down the street and hit. Aurelie Remy, centre, A young boy who had been out with his aunt, are missing
Also dead are Brodie Copeland, 11, from Texas (pictured left on vacation in the French Riviera and right) who died along with his father, Sean
Father, Sean, 51, (pictured far left with wife Kimberly far right, and Brodie, centre) was also killed
Emilie Chevrier (pictured, left) was among the missing as well as Hugo (right), 16, whose brother is desperately trying to find hm
Alexandre Torre, Christelle Nunez and their daughter Lous are missing according to social media
Witness Lucy Nesbitt-Comaskey told Sky News that the noise of gunfire 'sounded like Beirut'.
She said: 'I said to my friend 'This doesn't sound like fireworks, it sounds like Beirut when it's under fire'.
'All of a sudden people were screaming in the streets and running into all the restaurants.
'All the restaurants were open and people were coming.
'We were just sitting there and everyone came into our restaurant and the owners were saying 'Please don't go anywhere, come in, come in'.
Ms Nesbitt-Comaskey said she and her friend were planning to go to the fireworks but stopped to find a toilet and were only a block away when the attack happened.
Speaking about what she witnessed, she said: 'It was shocking, it was devastating and I cannot believe that I have come over here for a few days and I have got mixed up in something so tragic.
'It was just awful.'
Briton Will Shore was in a nearby bar when he heard gunfire and said his initial reaction was to run towards the city centre to see what was happening.
He told the BBC: 'I kind of ran towards the centre of Nice where there was a rather large jazz festival, and something was going on. I immediately found that military and the local police were just ushering absolutely everybody out of the area.
'It was quite chaotic really. There was a lot of people screaming, running around and people were kind of being pushed over, I think, from people just being so frightened about what was going on, especially after hearing the gunshots.
'I had to help a couple of people up who were in distress on the floor because everyone was in such a panic.'
He added: 'You could genuinely see the fear and panic in people's faces when they were running away. It was a mass amount of people running away'.
Secure zone: The world's media has descended on Nice - with police erecting a large screen as they continue to look at the lorry (in the top right of the picture)
Chaos: This is the scene in Nice today where the lorry raced the length of the famed Promenade des Anglais, leaving 84 dead in his wake
Crime scene: The lorry used as a murder weapon remains on the French Riviera city's famed waterfront promenade with police gathering evidence and marking put bullet casings with yellow numbered signs
Aftermath: The scene on the attack on the Promenade de Anglais where the 31-year-old murderer hit as many people as he could before being killed in a shootout with police
Horror: Bodies are still strewn along the mile-long route as police admitted today that the man who killed them was known to them
A truck ploughed through a large group of people in Nice during a suspected terrorist attack which claimed 'dozens of lives'
Horrific images depicting men and women lying on the side of a road close to the Promenade des Anglais
A child's doll lies on the street beside the body of a young girl who was killed in last night's attack in Nice in the south of France
Monstrous act: A man lies next to a body, with his head in his hands, as he tries to come to terms with the horror of what happened
Emergency: S(C)curit(C) Civile helicopters took off from the Promenade des Anglais surrounded by body bags
Armed police took up positions during the attack fearing there were additional terrorists in the area as the perpetrator was shot dead
Death toll: At least ten people lie dead on a short stretch of road where the lorry flew through crowds in Nice, killing families on a national holiday
Emergency services work to save the dead and injured on pavements along the mile-long stretch of road in Nice
Overwhelmed: Paramedics help a stricken victim on the left side of the picture, on the right hand side a man crouches, clearly in tears over the body of a victim
Makeshift: As the death toll rose bodies were left were they were hit or shot and were covered in blankets and often weighed down with whatever was available including rocks from the beach
Stunned survivors stood just feet away from from the bodies of five people who were run over next to HiBeach in Nice, pictured
Path of destruction: The driver spent around 30 minutes on the road before he was stopped by a police marksman in a shoot-out
French police riddled the truck with gunfire in an effort to kill the crazed driver of the truck which ran down hundreds of people
Carnage: The killed zig-zagged across the road trying to hit as many people as possible, including several children killed as they watched the fireworks
Investigation: Police in France are now treating this as a terrorist attack and have admitted the killer was known to them and is believed to be from Nice via Tunisia
Horror: Witnesses described seeing bodies of the dead being sent flying in all directions or being jammed under the wheels of the lorry
Terrible: One of the dozens of people killed by the killer lorry driver lies covered on the pavement with her handbag still next to her
Panic: Emergency services were working through the night to treat people in the street where they lay or in local hospitals. Doctors are begging for people to donate blood to help the injured
Icon: The sweeping promenade of Nice with its famous twinkling street lights. Today this famous scene is at the centre of one of France's worst terror attacks
In shock: Three survivors of the terror attack cling to one another as they try to come to terms with what happened and pass the body of someone whose life was taken
Heartbroken: Two men stand next to bodies, with one on a mobile phone, as many families lost loved-ones in the terror attack last night
Grief: A woman sobs into her hands while another man holds on to the body of someone killed by the ISIS terrorist
Awful: Friends of a man lying badly injured on the pavement try to treat him as he lies stricken on the floor with no shoes
Tragedy: A family of holidaymakers look at a woman in yellow as she sits next to the body of a loved-one killed in the terror attack
Support: People refuse to leave the side of the dead and injured while others walk dazed along the promenade after surviving the attrocity
Rush: Victims have been rushed to hospital for life-saving treatment but dozens remain critically ill and more are expected to succumb to their injuries
Emergency: Paramedics and doctors try to save a life of an injured victim - surrounded by bodies of those killed yesterday
On guard: France remains in a state of national emergency after a string of awful terror attacks on French soil in the past year
At least 70 people were killed in the southern French town of Nice when a truck ran into a crowd and targeted people on the pavement
At least 70 people have been killed during a horrific Bastille Day attack in Nice, southern France
The driver mounted the pavement at 40mph and steered directly at large groups of people watching the fireworks
The lorry drove for more than a mile targeting people who were attending the Bastille Day celebrations in Nice
Bereft: A man is bent double in grief by the body of a victim lying covered on Nice's world famous promenade
ISIS CELEBRATE YET ANOTHER DEADLY ATTACK ON FRANCEVile: Pro-ISIS groups have begun celebrating the Nice attack
Sick: One of the images superimposed the head of French president Fran§ois Hollande
Pro-ISIS groups have begun celebrating the Nice massacre which has left at least 77 people dead and more than 50 injured - but the terror group is yet to officially claim responsibility.
Scores of Bastille Day revellers were mown down by a truck after gathering to watch a fireworks display in the French city.
One French media outlet, weekly news magazine Paris Match, is reporting that ISIS has claimed responsibility but as yet there has been no official confirmation.
The group have mobilised to threaten France and encouraged the use of the #Nice_Attack hashtag.
Kevin Harris watched the attack unfold from his balcony.
He told the BBC: 'I saw what appeared to be bodies in the lying in the road.
'I spoke to my neighbour, who said the lorry had ploughed through the people. It's a terrible scene.'
Celia Delcourt, 20, from Nice, was enjoying the Bastille Day celebrations with friends when the attack happened.
'When the fireworks ended, we went on to the Promenade des Anglais and we started walking and we heard gunshots and we started running from on the other side,' she told ITV's Good Morning Britain programme.
'It was dark. We didn't know what was happening. We thought it was fireworks from another place. We just started running because everybody was running, without knowing what was happening.
'We never thought it will happen in our city, it's crazy. It feels like it's a part of our day since it happened in Paris but we never thought it would happen here.'
Ms Delcourt added: 'Everybody is shocked we have never been in a situation like this so it is unbelievable. It's shocking.'
British holidaymaker Esther Serwah, 59, was staying in a hotel a short walk from the scene.
She said she had been on her way to the Promenade des Anglais for dinner with her daughters when people started screaming at her.
Mrs Serwah, from Surrey, said: 'I was just walking to the Promenade and then I saw everybody running and I just didn't know what was going on.
'People were screaming at me in French but I didn't understand.
'Some people were lying on the streets dead and people were running over the bodies.
'Everybody was saying it's a terrorist attack. It's just horrible, horrible, horrible.
'I'm in shock. I'm still shaking.'
British eyewitness Kevin Harris was on the third-floor terrace of his hotel, where people had gathered to watch the fireworks, and saw the remnants of the horror moments before.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said: 'I came up to my bedroom on the seventh floor I was in my room for about a minute when I heard gunfire. I went out on to the balcony and, very sadly, I could see many bodes laying out on the road.
'There were many bodies, maybe twenty, and the strange thing was that nobody was moving. Nobody was trying to resuscitate anyone, which suggests everyone was hit so badly hit that there was no point.
'There were very few people around when I was looking down and eventually people started to arrive and they got towels from the beach club nextdoor and started to cover the bodies.
'There was a second body by the side of the truck and I assumed that was probably the perpetrator because the body wasn't covered and there were lots of police around it.'
Security forces were stretched as the truck hit people indiscriminately as they tried to flee from the carnage last night
French Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve spoke to reporters early this morning as the death toll continued to rise
Heavily armed soldiers occupied the centre of the town to restore control after the attack which claimed at least 50 lives
An air ambulance arrived at the scene, pictured, to take survivors of the attack to hospital
Fireworks were filling the night sky as the drama unfolded, as the crowds enjoyed July 14th, which is always a Bank Holiday in France
Australian tourists Marcus and Sally-Anne Freeman were in Nice for Bastille Day and took pictures before the massacre took place
Thousands of people stood on the beach waiting for the fireworks display to celebrate the storming of the Bastille
The attack happened in the Promenade des Anglais in Nice in the South of France while victims were watching a firework display
Forensic officers tried to establish what exactly happened last night in an effort to determine whether the killer had any outside help
French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, back row, second left, held crisis meetings in Nice in the aftermath of the terrorist attack
European Council president Donald Tusk said Europe stands united with the French people in the battle against violence and hatred, while Belgian foreign minister Didier Reynders both described the attack as 'barbaric'.
DEFIANT FRENCH PRESIDENT FRANCOIS HOLLANDE PLEDGES TO HIT ISIS IN SYRIA AND IRAQ HARDERFrench President Francois Hollande said it was undeniable that last night's attack was a terrorist atrocity
In an emotional speech, President Hollande said: 'Last night a lorry hit a crowd of people in Nice with the intention of killing.
'At the time i speak there are 77 victims, of which many are children.
'Once again we have seen extreme violence and it is obvious we must do everything to fight against this terrorism.
'The driver was shot and killed. We are investigating whether he was linked to any others.
'France has been hit on its national day, the 14th of July.
'I want to express my solidarity with the nation, which is now in mourning. I have instructed all regional hospitals to be prepared for an influx of injured.
'Under these circumstances we must display caution. and we must work together but we must during this busy weekend show care and attention for security.
'I will once again mention our highest military operation of security which allow the mobilisation of 10,000 military officers across the country.
'This will cover all brigades of the police, who will be called from across the country, to the Nice region to assist their comrades
'We will also pay much attention to tightening borders and I will now announce that the state of emergency which was meant to be lifted will be extended a further three months.
'Following this we will show real force and military action in Iraq and Syria.
'Our defence department will hold a meeting later this morning. Followng this meeting I will travel with the prime minsiter to Nice later today.
'France has been hit by tragedy once again.
This monstrosity of using a lorry to deliberately kill people, many people, who only came out to celebrate their national day.
'France is in tears, it is hurting but it is strong and she will be stronger - always stronger than the fanatics who wish to hurt us.'
British Prime Minister Theresa May is being kept up to date on the 'terrible incident' in Nice, a Downing Street spokesman said.
He added: 'Our thoughts are with all those affected by this terrible incident on what was a day of national celebration'.
British police forces have been asked to review security at major events across the UK following the deadly attack in Nice last night, which killed 84 people and left more than 100 injured.
Downing Street said the precautions are 'to ensure the appropriate security is in place' as Theresa May vowed to increase efforts to defeat the 'brutal' terrorist 'murderers'.
The new Prime Minister said Britain stands 'shoulder to shoulder' with France today after the 'horrifying' events in Nice last night saw several children among the victims of a terrorist who drove a truck through crowds celebrating Bastille Day.
A 'small number' of British nationals have been injured in the attack, the Prime Minister's spokesman said today.
The Government's emergency Cobra committee met this morning, while Mrs May said the UK's security threat remained at 'severe' - meaning a terror attack in Britain is highly likely.
Mrs May, who has vast experience of responding to terror threats having served as Home Secretary for the last six years, pledged to step up efforts to defeat terrorism to 'stand up for our values and for our freedom'.
France's ambassador to the United States, Gerard Araud, said last night that the world's democratic states are under attack in a Bastille Day reception in Washington.
'Our democracies - France, the United States, our other partners , we are besieged, we face a terrible threat.'
The country is already in a state of emergency after 130 people were killed in a terror attack in Paris in November. After last night's attack it was extended for another three months.
Following last night's horrific terror attack in Nice President Fran§ois Hollande has promised to show 'real force' in Iraq as he confirmed that children were among the dead.
The French leader has returned to Paris from the city of Avignon to hold an urgent meeting at the Interior Ministry and is expected to head to Nice later this morning along with the Prime Minister.
Mr Hollande held a press conference shortly after Thursday night's incident, which left at least 77 people dead after a truck ploughed through crowds watching fireworks as they celebrated Bastille Day.
In an emotional speech, he said: 'Last night a lorry hit a crowd of people in Nice with the intention of killing. At the time I speak there are 77 victims, of which many are children.
'Once again we have seen extreme violence and it is obvious we must do everything to fight against this terrorism.'
In the meeting he will seek advice on how France should react to the attack, which took place just hours after he issued a statement confirming that he would end the nation's nine-month state of emergency.
Speaking earlier in the day, the President announced that the extreme terror threat level - which had been in place since the November 13 attacks which left 130 dead - would not extend beyond July 26.
According to France 24, the state of emergency was extended three times by parliament in an effort to provide additional resources to ensuring safety through the Euro-2016 soccer tournament, which concluded on Sunday.
ut following last night's horrific attack, he has now confirmed the state of emergency will be extended by a further three months.
Speaking at the press conference, Mr Hollande said: 'The driver of the lorry was shot and killed. We are investigating whether he was linked to any others.
'I want to express my solidarity with the nation, which is now in mourning. I have instructed all regional hospitals to be prepared for an influx of the injured.
'Under these circumstances we must display caution. and we must work together, but we must during this busy weekend show care and attention for security.
'I will once again mention our highest military operation of security, which will now allow the mobilisation of 10,000 military officers across the country.
'This will cover all brigades of the police, who will be called from across the country, to the Nice region to assist their comrades
'We will also pay much attention to tightening borders and I will now announce that the state of emergency which was meant to be lifted will be extended a further three months.
Boris Johnson said he is 'shocked and saddened' by the tragedy, which will be the first major international incident he will deal with as Foreign Secretary since being given the job earlier this week.
French Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said: 'We are in a war with terrorists who want to strike us at any price and in a very violent way.'
Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet gave an update on the rapidly developing situation. He said: 'There is no hostage-taking. An individual drove a truck into the crowd. He was killed by police.
'Investigations are currently under way to establish if the individual acted alone or if he had accomplices who might have fled.'
Local politician Eric Ciotti said: 'It's a scene of horror.' He confirmed the truck mowed down 'several hundred people'.
He said the truck drove for more than a mile hitting people along the promenade and confirmed the driver was killed by police 'apparently after an exchange of gunfire'.
The truck was riddled with at least 40 bullet holes. The front of the vehicle was badly damaged while the front tyres had been shot out.
The Paris prosecutor's office opened an investigation for 'murder, attempted murder in an organised group linked to a terrorist enterprise'.
Witnesses caught the moment the truck mounted the pavement on video as it steered towards a large group of revelers
Bodies were strewn over more than 100 metres along the promenade in Nice in the South of France
People leaving the area were ordered to hold their hands up as they evacuated the scene near the sea front in Nice last night
Shocked survivors held each other after witnessing the massacre which killed more than 70 people injuring at least 150 others
Soldiers secured the scene while emergency workers treated the wounded and checked on those killed in yesterday's massacre
Within an hour of the attack, French authorities had handed over the investigation to anti-terrorist police
The Hotel Negresco was used as a make-shift triage centre to house survivors of last night's terrorist attack
At least 15 people are believed to be in a critical condition following last night's terrorist attack in Nice
Amid the chaotic scenes people were separated from their loved ones and were unaware whether they had survived the massacre
Emergency services used bars, restaurants, casinos and hotels as triage centres to deal with the walking wounded
A massive security operation was launched in the aftermath of the deadly massacre with survivors evacuated with their hands up
Emergency services took badly wounded survivors away from the scene in a fleet of ambulances to nearby hospitals for treatment
The front of the truck was badly damaged after it knocked down dozens of people enjoying an evening by the sea front
A man holding a small girl carried the traumatised youngster away from the scene of the massacre in Nice, southern France
French anti-terrorist police have taken over the investigation with US President Barack Obama promising his assistance
TIMELINE OF TERROR: DEADLY ISIS ATTACKS ON WEST IN LAST 12 MONTHSLocationDate AttackDeath toll Injuries Istanbul June 29, 2016 Triple suicide bombing at city's Ataturk airportThree attackers arrived in a taxi and began firing at the terminal entrance. They blew themselves up after police fired back - with CCTV footage capturing the moment one wounded extremist detonated his explosive vest seconds after a hero officer tried to detain him
41 230 Orlando June 12, 2016 Mass shooting at gay nightclub PulseLone gunman Omar Mateen - a 29-year-old American security guard - sprayed bullets across the dancefloor before taking hostages after entering the Florida nightclub in the middle of the night armed with an AR-15. He was shot and killed by Orlando police after a three-hour standoff
49 53Brussels March 22, 2016 Nail bombings in Brussels AirportTwo suicide bombers carrying homemade bombs in large suitcases attacked a departure hall at Brussels Airport in Zaventem. They exploded nine seconds apart. Another explosion took place just over an hour later in the middle carriage of a three-carriage train at Maalbeek metro station
35 340 Istanbul January 12, 2016 Suicide bomber detonates in the city's tourist-heavy historical centreNabil Fadli, a Syrian member of the Islamic State walked up to a tour group standing in Sultanahmet Square and blew himself up. Most of the victims were German but also came from Peru, South Korea and Norway
13 15ParisNovember 13, 2015Bombings and shootings in Bataclan and across the French capitalA series of coordinated attacks occurred at the national stadium during a football match between France and Germany, followed by suicide bombings and mass shootings at caf(C)s, restaurants and a music venue in the centre of the city
137 368 Egypt October 23, 2015Bomb brings down Russian jet over EgyptMetrojet Flight 9268 comes down in Sinai. Shortly after the crash, the Islamic State Sinai Branch, previously known as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, claimed responsibility for the incident
224 0 Tunisia June 26, 2015 Mass shooting at packed tourist beachAttack occurred at Port El Kantaoui where hundreds of Brits were holidaying. Seifeddine Rezgui Yacoubi, disguised as a tourist, socialised with others, and then took out a Kalashnikov assault rifle concealed in a beach umbrella and fired at the tourists on the beach. He entered a hotel, shooting at people he came across
38 39 US President Barack Obama has condemned what appears to be 'a horrific terrorist attack' and has directed his officials to provide any assistance required by the French government.
He said: 'On behalf of the American people, I condemn in the strongest terms what appears to be a horrific terrorist attack in Nice, France, which killed and wounded dozens of innocent civilians.
'We stand in solidarity and partnership with France, our oldest ally, as they respond to and recover from this attack.
'We know that the character of the French Republic will endure long after this devastating and tragic loss of life.
'On this Bastille Day, we are reminded of the extraordinary resilience and democratic values that have made France an inspiration to the entire world.'
Carrying on: One women in Nice decided to sunbathe on a wall close to where the attack happened on the Promenade des Anglais
Holidaygoers: People arrived back at the beach with their inflatables on Friday after the horrific attack the night before
Devastated: A man appears emotional as he sits near a French flag along the beachfront the day after the attack
His Secretary of State John Kerry added: 'The horrendous attack in Nice is an attack against innocent people on a day that celebrates Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.
'On behalf of all Americans, and especially the great many with close ties to France, I offer our deepest condolences to the friends and family of those who were killed and our hopes for a speedy recovery to those who were injured.
'I was proud to stand alongside French leaders earlier today at Bastille Day celebrations in Paris, and the United States will continue to stand firmly with the French people during this time of tragedy. We will provide whatever support is needed.
'Our embassy in Paris is making every effort to account for the welfare of U.S. citizens in Nice. Any U.S. citizens in Nice should contact friends and family directly to inform them of their well being.'
President Hollande, pictured, was updated on the massacre as he flew to the crisis nerve centre last night with PM Manuel Valls, right
Across the city, hundreds of people hid and locked themselves in cafes and bars to protect themselves from possible attack
Tens of thousands of people gathered along the coast to celebrate the annual bank holiday when they were attacked
Eyewitnesses reported there were exchanges of gunfire between police and suspected terrorists in Nice, southern France
People ran for their lives as the truck ploughed through the group of people in Nice, southern France
Several people have been injured as videos emerged showing people fleeing in panic
Emergency services helped wounded survivors into a fleet of ambulances to evacuate them from the scene for treatment
Bastille Day, which celebrates the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris during the French Revolution of 1789, is the country's biggest public holiday.
BASTILLE DAY: FRANCE'S ANNUAL DAY OF CELEBRATION Bastille Day marks the July 14, 1789, storming of the Bastille prison by angry Paris crowds that helped spark the French Revolution.
The uprising was organised by ordinary Parisians intent on making clear they would no longer accept the absolute power of King Louis XVI's as they faced high taxes and extortionate food costs.
There were not many prisoners in the Bastille at the time of the storming - only 7 people were freed - but the point was made.
That very night, 800 men destroyed the Bastille.
What happened that day began the French Revolution, in turn bringing about the modern French Republic.
The July 14 'Fªte de la F(C)d(C)ration' - which marked the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille - became a French national holiday in 1880 and has been observed ever since.
The day itself is celebrated passionately across France, with events held throughout the country on what is now a bank holiday.
Weeks later, the National Assembly abolished feudalism and adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen as its constitution.
France became united under the agreement: 'Men are born free and remain free and equal in rights.'
Months on both Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were executed.
Nice mayor Christian Estrosi said: 'This is the worst Nice drama of history. We are terrified and we want to present to all the families our sincere condolences.'
He said flags in the city would be flown at half-mast, while a concert by US superstar Rhianna and the popular jazz festival have both been cancelled.
Horrific images depicting men and women lying on the side of a road close to the Promenade des Anglais appeared on social media.
Fireworks were filling the night sky as the drama unfolded, as the crowds enjoyed July 14th, which is always a Bank Holiday in France.
France has been repeatedly targeted in recent months.
Colin Srivastava told BBC News: 'We were basically sitting just in front of the Old Town in Nice and saw several hundred people running towards us looking panic stricken.
'We tried to ask a few of them what the hell was going on and finally got one that said, 'You need to go, the police have told us to run'.
'Just around about the base of the hill where the castle is in Nice the police came running along and said, 'Run now'.
'We had absolutely no idea what was going on, to be honest with you.
'When we got down into the port in Nice we were told by a few people who'd obviously run faster than we had that there was the story of a lorry that had gone into the people, basically cannoned into the crowd, and there were also shots fired, which is something we didn't hear about until just now on French news.'
Meanwhile, in Paris, a fire broke out near the Eiffel Tower, however authorities said this incident was not suspicious.
According to the White House: 'The president has been apprised of the situation in Nice, France, and his national security team will update him, as appropriate.'
French President Francois Hollande is heading to the Interior Ministry's crisis centre.
Police shot and killed the driver, who drove at high speed for over 100 yards along the famed Promenade des Anglais seafront before hitting the mass of spectators, regional sub-prefect Sebastien Humbert told France Info radio.
Humbert described it as a clear criminal attack, although the driver was not yet identified. Residents of the Mediterranean city close to the Italian border were advised to stay indoors. There was no sign of any other attack.
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy tweeted: 'Deep emotion and infinite sadness at the Nice attack. Solidarity with the Nicois and the inhabitants of the Alpes-Maritimes.'
Fireworks were filling the night sky as the drama unfolded, as the crowds enjoyed July 14th, which is always a Bank Holiday in France.
'It is absolute chaos,' said an eye witness who works in the Nice judiciary. 'There are reports of dozens of people killed, and many more injured. Bodies are lying everywhere.
'Police are flooding the streets, including anti-terrorism officers. Nobody knows what to do, except to hide away. Gunmen are meant to be targeting hotels.'
The lorry was seen mounting the pavement and piling into anyone the driver could see, ramming over those who tried to run away.
There were also separate reports of a possible fire near the Eiffel Tower in Paris last nigh according to witnesses
EXCLUSIVE - 'He drank alcohol, ate pork'... and took drugs. He was NOT a Muslim': Truck terrorist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel's cousin reveals he is an 'unlikely jihadist' who beat his wife and NEVER went to the mosque
Monster: Bouhlel, who shot indiscriminately at police and members of the public, was described by a cousin as a 's***' and a 'nasty piece of work' who never observed the rules of Islam
Truck terrorist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel was an 'unlikely jihadist' who flouted every rule of Islam, his cousin told MailOnline today.
The 31-year-old - who wreaked terror on the Nice seafront as he turned an evening celebrating Bastille Day into a night of terror in which he murdered 84 innocent people - drank alcohol, ate pork and took drugs.
He never prayed or attended a mosque, and hit his wife - with whom he had three children - and was in the process of getting a divorce.
Bouhlel, who had been known to the French police since January, had been on the radar for six months for petty criminality.
It is understood he lost his job as a delivery driver when he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into four cars.
Yesterday, he was stopped by police just hours before he crushed scored of people underneath the wheels of his 19 tonne truck and fired shots indiscriminately at police and innocent bystanders.
He told officers that he was delivering ice-cream to the area and was allowed to park on the waterfront for several hours.
Horrifying footage of the moment the truck turned into a deadly juggernaut were uploaded online within minutes, showing a trail of dead bodies left in its path.
Walid Hamou, a cousin of Bouhlel's wife Hajer, told MailOnline: 'Bouhlel was not religious. He did not go to the mosque, he did not pray, he did not observe Ramadan.
'He drank alcohol, ate pork and took drugs. This is all forbidden under Islam.
'He was not a Muslim, he was a s***.
'He beat his wife, my cousin, he was a nasty piece of work.'
Bouhlel's wife was taken into protective custody by police this morning.
Detectives had raided the 12th floor apartment she had shared with her estranged husband in the early hours of the morning and another rented property nearby.
More disturbing facts emerged about Bouhlel's frame of mind in the hours leading to his murderous rampage on the Promenade des Anglais.
Kicked in: Bouhlel's home was broken into and examined for clues. He had been known to the French police since January, but was not deemed a terror threat
Murderous: After crushing scores of people with the lorry, Bouhlel then got out and opened fire on the terrified revellers trying to flee
Target: French police raided a apartment Bouhlel was renting close to his estranged wife and ransacked the property, looking for clues
Not a Muslim: Walid Hamou, a cousin of Bouhlel's wife Hajer, told MailOnline: 'Bouhlel was not religious. He did not go to the mosque, he did not pray, he did not observe Ramadan'
Thief: Bouhlel was already known by police following accusations of domestic violence and theft, and was arrested following a pub brawl on January 27
Wissam, a Tunisian neighbour from the same village as the driver claimed: 'On the Thursday night he was drinking with a colleague and they argued. His pal said you're worth nothing and he replied: 'One day, you'll hear about me.'
He was not a Muslim, he was a s***. 'He beat his wife, my cousin, he was a nasty piece of work.
Speaking to L'Express he said: Look this is someone who drinks, smokes cannabis.'
Hannan, who lived on the floor below, said: 'He always looked at me oddly. He stared at us and we avoided him.'
Another neighbour described him as shifty and unwillingly to make contact.
Also, it now seems that the guns found in the van were fake and the grenade inoperable.
'Why?' said Wissam. 'What was the point of that?'
Focus: Officers pored over every inch of the 12th floor apartment Bouhlel lived in with his wife Hajer and the rented apartment nearby which he moved into when they separated
Fired: The father-of-three worked as a delivery driver, but is believed to have been fired recently after falling asleep at the wheel and crashing into four vehicles on a highway
12th floor: Police raided the 12th floor apartment as more details emerged about Bouhlel's life. The 31-year-old was stopped by police just hours before he crushed scored of people underneath the wheels of his 19 tonne truck and fired shots indiscriminately at police and innocent bystanders
It comes after Bouhlel was named by police as the terrorist who drove a lorry for more than a mile through crowds of people celebrating Bastille Day in the southern French city.
The attack left a trail of devastation, killing at least 84 people including 10 children, on the Promenade des Anglais.
After crushing scores of people with the lorry, the driver then got out and opened fire on the terrified revellers trying to flee.
Police were able to end the attack by shooting dead the gunmen.
Mr Hamou, 30, said: 'My cousin is with the police. They took her way at about 11am this morning, for her own protection. She is at the police station now giving a statement.'
Bouhlel is understood have separated from his wife two years ago.
Neighbour Nassim, 33, told MailOnline: 'Bouhlel used to live in this block of flats with his wife and family. I lived next door to him.
'He was not a fanatical muslim. He drank alcohol, he chased girls, he went to nightclubs. He did not go to the mosque. He was not religious at all.
'He split up from his wife about two years ago. She is a lovely woman.'
Bouhlel had lived with his wife and three young children in a flat in a run-down apartment block in a poor neighbourhood of Nice.
He worked as a delivery driver, but is believed to have been fired recently after falling asleep at the wheel and crashing into four vehicles on a highway.
Bouhlel was already known by police following accusations of domestic violence and theft, and was arrested following a pub brawl on January 27.
Council workmen were today repairing the front door of the former family home which had been smashed in by anti-terrorist police in the early hours of the morning.
Meanwhile detectives and anti-terrorist police were sifting through his belongings at the small rental apartment nearby where he had lived since the split.
Forensic officers were investigating a white van outside the property.
Faces of the missing: Friends and families in desperate plea to find children feared caught up in Bastille Day truck massacre
These are the faces of children and adults missing after the Bastille Day massacre in Nice.
Friends and family members have shared photos of their loved ones online in a desperate bid to locate them after 84 people were killed when a terrorist gunman drove a 19-tonne lorry through crowds on a mile-long killing spree on Thursday night.
The images shared on social media include friends, brothers, sisters, mothers and numerous young people who have reportedly vanished since the attack carried out by a 31-year-old French Tunisian named by local newspaper Nice Matin as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel.
The married father of three, mounted pavements at high speed and ploughed through crowds watching fireworks on Bastille Day.
At least 10 babies and children were killed, some in buggies, with least 54 children also being treated in hospital.
Many of the heartbreaking messages posted on Twitter include photos of mothers and daughters and show screenshots of frantic messages sent to the missing, with no reply. They were shared via a Twitter account called Recherche NICE.
Here are their faces:
These are the faces of children and adults missing after the Bastille Day massacre in Nice - posted online by the people terrified for their safety
'MAYBE THIS IS A BIT SELFISH BUT IT DID SPOIL OUR SHOPPING TRIP': EXCRUCIATING MOMENT BRITISH TOURIST COMPLAINS ABOUT NICE TERROR ATTACKA British woman has claimed her shopping trip to Nice was 'spoiled' when a terrorist gunman killed 84 people and seriously injured 50 more after he drove a 19-tonne lorry into crowds celebrating Bastille Day.
The tourist, named as Lucy Nesbitt-Comaskey, told Sky News: 'Maybe this is awful and maybe a bit selfish but it did spoil our shopping trip.
'We bought all this lovely shopping and now I can't be bothered with it. It doesn't mean anything now,' she said.
On Friday morning, Nesbitt-Comaskey issued a grovelling apology for her remarks via Facebook. She claimed that she was understandably 'in shock' at the time after witnessing the horrific events and misspoke while speaking to journalists.
British tourist Lucy Nesbitt-Comaskey said the Nice terror attack 'spoiled' her shopping trip
'My sincere condolences to the French people who have lost their loved one's today in Nice.
'I'm deeply sorry if my interview with Sky News sounded uncompassionate. I was totally distressed and shocked. My words came out wrong. Once again sorry,' she said.
Nesbitt-Comaskey was planning to go to the fireworks display on the promenade but had stopped to find a toilet on the way when the horror broke out.
She said restaurants along the promenade urged everyone to come inside.
'I said to my friend 'This doesn't sound like fireworks, it sounds like Beirut when it's under fire',' she recalled.
Lucy Nesbitt-Comaskey was understandably distressed when she made her remarks. On Friday morning she issued a grovelling apology via Facebook
Lucy Nesbitt-Comaskey planned to watch the Bastille Day fireworks display but had stopped to use the toilets on the way when the terror broke out
'This is war:' Donald Trump quickly seizes on 'horrific' Nice Bastille Day attack and says if elected president, he will ask Congress for declaration of war on ISIS
Donald Trump said if elected president, he would declare war on the Islamic State - hours after quickly seizing on horrific reports of another deadly attack in France to ask his Twitter followers: 'When will we learn?'
Trump was responding to reports that 80 people had been killed and more than 100 injured when a truck carrying weapons and hand grenades plowed into people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice on Thursday evening.
Although it was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, Trump said in an interview with Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor, Trump said: 'This is war.'
He said if he's elected president, he would ask Congress for a declaration of war on ISIS '' as unconfirmed reports claimed the terror group had claimed responsibility for the attack.
Quick: Donald Trump seized on horrific reports of another deadly attack in France, asking his Twitter followers: 'When will we learn?'
The 70-year-old said that to fight the terror group, which he called a 'cancer,' NATO should be used 'for a purpose.'
In another interview, Trump called for President Obama to acknowledge the problem was 'radical Islam.'
He also reiterated his call for the United States to tighten its borders and brought up his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the country as a solution.
As news broke of the attack, the billionaire real estate mogul tweeted: 'Another horrific attack, this time in Nice, France. Many dead and injured. When will we learn? It is only getting worse'.
In an interview with Fox News' Great van Susteren later on Thursday night, Trump said 'it's about time' Obama used the term 'radical Islam.'
Although not much is known yet about the attacks in Nice, Tump said: 'Generally speaking, I don't think the people come out of Sweden, OK?
'It's probably, possibly, but if it is indeed radical Islamic terrorism, it's about time that [Obama] would say so, OK?
'It's about time, because you're never gonna solve this problem unless you're gonna define it. People would sigh with relief. If it's radical Islamic terrorism, he oughta say it.'
Meanwhile, President Obama condemned what he said 'appears to be a horrific terrorist attack' in Nice.
Noting that the attack occurred on Bastille Day, Obama said: 'We are reminded of the extraordinary resilience and democratic values that have made France an inspiration to the entire world, and we know that the character of the French Republic will endure long after this devastating and tragic loss of life.'
Obama said the U.S. has offered French officials 'any assistance that they may need to investigate this attack and bring those responsible to justice.'
But Trump used the attacks as an opportunity to reiterate his plan of solving the problem of terrorism by placing a ban on Muslims coming into the country.
'We have to tighten things up. Look at San Bernardino, what happened there.
'You look at Paris, prior to this, 130 people dead. Hundreds of people still in the hospital. I mean, what are we doing? We're trying to be so nice. We're trying to be so civil.
'We're so weak, the world has got to strengthen up and we have to be very tight with our borders.'
On the attacks in Nice, Trump said: 'We're living in a whole different world that there's no respect for law and order. There's no respect for anything or anybody.
'This has to be dealt with very harshly. When I come out with my non-politically correct statements that a lot of people love and some people think are so terrible and then you have attacks like this and so many other attacks
'We have to get awfully tough and we have to get very, very smart and vigilant. And if we don't, we're just not going to have a society, we're not going to have a world anymore.'
Asked what he would do to address the problem of terrorism if he was president, Trump replied: 'Well, I'd be making it very, very hard for people to come into our country, for one thing, from terrorist areas.
'I would be so extreme in terms of documentation. Obama's allowing a lot of people to come in. No idea who they are. They're from Syria, maybe, but they have no paperwork.
'I would not allow people to come in from terrorist nations. I would do extreme vetting, I would call it extreme vetting too.
'Our country has tremendous problems. We don't need any more of the problems.'
In a separate interview on Fox, Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton said the U.S. needs to 'stand strongly' with France and strengthen alliances, including with NATO, in order to ferret out terrorism and prevent future attacks.
Clinton says she would intensify efforts to put together a more effective coalition against terrorism.
In the wake of a series of co-ordinated terror attacks that left 130 people dead in Paris on November 13 last year, Trump similarly seized the opportunity to blame stringent gun laws for the massacre.
At a campaign rally shortly afterwards, he told his supporters that it would have been a 'much different situation' if the victims had been armed.
He also said he would close some mosques to stop extremist attacks in the United States.
'You're going to have to watch and study the mosques because a lot of talk is going on at the mosques,' Trump said during an interview with MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' program in November last year.
Then, after a radicalized Muslim couple opened fire and killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, Trump controversially proposed a ban on all Muslim immigrants into the United States.
'Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on,' his campaign said in a release last December.
Despite a backlash, Trump stuck with his proposal. During Fox Business Network's GOP debate in January, Trump said: 'Look, we have to stop with political correctness.
'We have to get down to creating a country that's not going to have the kind of problems that we've had with people flying planes into the World Trade Centers, with the '-- with the shootings in California, with all the problems all over the world. ... We have to find out what's going on.'
Attack: Gunshots rang out in the streets, with gunmen reportedly targeting hotels and cafes in the port city with residents warned to lock themselves inside
Standing guard: A soldier is seen near the site of the attack on the French Riviera town of Nice after a van plouwed into a crowd leaving a fireworks display
Later, Trump began to stress the 'temporary nature' of his proposed ban.
'This is just a suggestion until we find out what's going on,' he said on Fox News radio in May.
But then, in a speech reacting to the massacre in Orlando in June, Trump reiterated his proposed Muslim ban '' despite the fact that the gunman was an American citizen, born in New York to Afghan parents.
'I called for a ban after San Bernardino and was met with great scorn and anger,' Trump said during a speech the day after the shooting.
'But now ... many are saying that I was right to do so. And although the pause is temporary, we must find out what is going on. We have to do it,' he said.
'It will be lifted, this ban, when and as a nation we're in a position to properly and perfectly screen these people coming into our country.'
Gunman Omar Mateen opened fire inside a gay nightclub on June 12, killing 49 people in what became the worst mass shooting in the United States.
ISIS quickly claimed credit for the attacks and authorities said Mateen called 911 during the massacre to pledge allegiance to the terror group.
Hours after the massacre, a gloating Trump took to Twitter to say: 'Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism. I don't want congrats. I want toughness and vigilance. We must be smart!'
Meanwhile, Trump said that in light of the attack in Nice, he will postpone a news conference scheduled for Friday in New York concerning his Vice-Presidential announcement.
After a day of speculation about who will join Trump on the GOP's presidential ticket, Trump wrote on Twitter: 'In light of the horrible attack in Nice, France, I have postponed tomorrow's news conference concerning my Vice Presidential announcement.'
Trump was set to formally announce the decision on his choice of running mate at an 11am news conference at a hotel in midtown Manhattan on Friday, with just three days to go until Republicans gather in Cleveland, Ohio, to officially select their nominee for the White House.
Trump's campaign advisers told Republican officials that the 70-year-old has picked Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate, two Republican sources told Reuters.
However, Trump officials said he had not yet made a final decision.
On Thursday, CNN and ABC both reported, without naming their sources, that Pence, a 57-year-old Christian evangelical and stalwart of the American right, had accepted the vice presidential slot.
But the announcement will now be delayed, Trump said on Thursday.
Late on Thursday, a truck drive onto the sidewalk and plowed through a crowd of revelers who'd been gathered to watch Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, France.
At least 80 people were killed and dozens injured, authorities say. The truck reportedly mounted the pavement at approximately 40mph and steered directly towards people watching a fireworks display in the city.
'We were at the Neptune beach and a firework display had just finished,' a witness called Antoine said. 'That is when we saw a white lorry. It was going quickly at 60-70 kilometres an hour.'
Gunshots rang out in the streets, with gunmen targeting hotels and cafes in the port city as residents were warned to lock themselves in doors for their safety.
The RAID anti-terror squad has been deployed to the city.
Hundreds of people were watching fireworks along the promenade when the attack began.
The gunman jumped out of the truck after plowing through the pedestrians and started opening fire.
Officials said the driver was shot dead near the scene. A second suspect is thought to be on the run.
A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit alleging that a reclusive Muslim cleric in Pennsylvania orchestrated human rights abuses in his native Turkey, ruling the claims did not belong in U.S. courts.
Turkey's government funded the civil suit against Fethullah Gulen as part of a crackdown on the cleric and his movement by President Recep Erdogan.
It claimed Gulen ordered sympathetic police, prosecutors and judges in Turkey to target members of a rival spiritual movement critical of his teachings.
U.S. District Judge Robert Mariani in Scranton threw out the suit, ruling the plaintiffs "offer only circumstantial and tenuous allegations of a connection between Gulen's domestic conduct and the violations of plaintiffs' rights in Turkey."
The legal action was filed in December on behalf of three men who claimed Gulen sympathizers in Turkish law enforcement planted evidence, fabricated search warrants, conducted illegal wiretaps and ultimately arrested and detained the men on trumped-up charges.
The plaintiffs' attorney, Robert Amsterdam, had no immediate response to Wednesday's ruling.
Gulen, who has lived in the United States since 1999, has criticized Erdogan, his onetime ally, over the Turkish leader's rule.
"The case was a politically motivated attack leveled by the administration of Turkey's President ... against Mr. Gulen, for doing nothing more than publicly accusing the Erdogan administration of being corrupt and authoritarian," Michael Miller, one of Gulen's lawyers, said in a statement Wednesday.
The suit was part of a broad campaign against Gulen's movement in Turkey and abroad. The Erdogan regime has carried out a purge of civil servants suspected of ties to the movement, seized businesses and closed some media organizations. Gulen has been charged criminally with plotting to overthrow the government, and was placed on trial in absentia last month.
With the financial backing of the Turkish government, Amsterdam also has focused on a network of about 150 publicly funded U.S. charter schools started by Gulen's followers. State and federal authorities have probed some of the schools amid allegations of financial mismanagement and visa fraud, though no criminal charges have been filed.
Gulen's supporters denounced the Turkish government over its pursuit of the cleric.
"Instead of filing frivolous lawsuits that drain both U.S. and Turkish taxpayer dollars, the Erdogan government should release jailed journalists, return private property confiscated by the government and stop targeting every critical voice with politically-driven legal harassment," said Y. Alp Aslandogan, who leads a group that promotes Gulen's ideas and work.
Ankara says file 'ready' to seek G¼len's extradition from US - CRIME
have prepared a file seeking to extradite U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah G¼len, who has been accused of leading a purported terrorist organization, as well as trying to infiltrate and overthrow the elected Turkish government, sources said on July 13.
Sources from the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said the file will be sent to the Justice Ministry on July 14, and then to the U.S. Justice Department with a formal extradition request. G¼len has long been accused by leading Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmakers, as well as President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄan and his inner circle, of forming and heading a terrorist organization aimed at toppling the Turkish government through insiders in the police and other state institutions. Last October, an Istanbul court issued an arrest warrant for G¼len after approving a 1,453-page indictment charging him with attempting to overthrow the government of the Republic of Turkey or obstructing it from conducting its duties by force.
According to the sources, the extradition file includes information on G¼len's identity and address in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, as well as the accusations and charges against him, with places, dates and other details.
Erdogan blames Turkey's coup on Fethullah Gulen who lives in Pennsylvania | Daily Mail Online
Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, blamed an Islamic scholar in Pennsylvania for the coup attempt after he made a triumphant return to Istanbul announcing the military uprising had failed.
Explosions and gunfire erupted in Istanbul and Ankara, but Erdogan said the coup was orchestrated 5,000 miles away in a reference to his political rival Fethullah Gulen, who has lived in voluntary exile in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania since the late 1990s.
Gulen, 75, initially swung his millions-strong support behind of Erdogan, who rose from the mayor of Istanbul to prime minister before he became the president in 2014.
But the two fell out over a massive corruption scandal in 2013 that cost the country $100billion in a campaign thought to be initiated by Gulen's followers against Erdogan's closest allies.
President Recep Erdogan (left) said the coup was orchestrated 5,000 miles away in a reference to his political rival Fethullah Gulen (right), who has lived in voluntary exile in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania since the late 1990s
Erdogan (center) has long accused Gulen of plotting to overthrow the officially secular government from a gated 26-acre compound in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains
The coup was reportedly led by Colonel Muharrem Kose, who had recently been kicked out of the army from over his links to Gulen (pictured, Turkish military stand guard near Taksim Square in Istanbul)
Trained as an imam, Gulen gained notice in Turkey some 50 years ago, promoting a philosophy that blended a mystical form of Islam with staunch advocacy of democracy, education, science and interfaith dialogue.
Supporters known as the loosely organized group Hizmet, meaning 'service', started 1,000 schools in more than 100 countries, including about 150 taxpayer-funded charter schools throughout the US.
In Turkey, they have run universities, hospitals, charities, a bank and a large media empire with newspapers and radio and TV stations.
Critics, however, are skeptical of the group's widespread control and allegations have been made accusing Hizmet of trying to indoctrinate students into Gulen's movement.
Gulen backed the rise of Erdogan's AK Party until the government closed down a network of Hizmet's private schools, according to the BBC.
In 2013, Turkey's corruption scandal, thought to have been instigated by Gulen's followers, served a harsh blow to Erdogan's administration when three ministers resigned after their sons were implicated.
Fethullah Gulen, is a recluse Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, about 75 miles north of Philadelphia, but his influence extends around the world, with supporters firmly rooted in Turkey's political and military establishment
Erdogan has repeatedly accused Gulen of plotting to overthrow the officially secular government from a gated 26-acre compound in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains, which has a population of about 1,100.
The president, who was on vacation in the resort town of Marmaris when the coup began, issued a statement to CNN tonight referring to a 'parallel structure' behind the coup, a reference to Gulen's followers.
Hours later, he touched down at Ataturk airport in a move that signaled the waning momentum of the military forces, reportedly led by Colonel Muharrem Kose.
Kose had recently been kicked out of the army from his position as head of the military's legal advisory department, over his links to Gulen. He was killed during the clashes with Erdogan's supporters, sources report.
Addressing the media in Istanbul tonight, Erdogan said those behind the coup were 'being told what to do from Pennsylvania' and warned they would pay a 'heavy price for their treason'.
Tanks and armored personnel carriers tried to seize strategic points in Istanbul and Ankara but were faced down by unarmed civilians (pictured, Erdogan's supporters in Istanbul's Taksim Square)
A man poses with the flag of Turkey in front of a car crushed by a military tank as people gather in Kizilay Square to protest the military coup in the capital city of Ankara
Turkey's parliamentary building was bombed as this picture shows the devastation from the explosive
Erdogan, pictured, was in the holiday resort of Marmaris when the coup began. He referred to a 'parallel structure' behind the coup, a reference to Gulen's followers
Protesters blocked the tanks from seizing the airport, which allowed President Erdogan to make his triumphant return to Istanbul in a move that signaled the military's waning momentum
Lawyer Robert Amsterdam, whose firm represents the Republic of Turkey, named Gulen and said there were 'indications of direct involvement'.
In a statement on his website, Amsterdam wrote: 'According to Turkish intelligence sources I have spoken with, there are indications of direct involvement by the powerful fugitive cleric Fethullah G¼len...
'We have attempted repeatedly to warn the US government of the threat posed by this organization, however, at the same time, the G¼lenists have been waging their own campaign to undermine the legitimacy of the elected Turkish government.
'The fact that now there are signs that G¼len is working closely with certain members of military leadership against the elected civilian government is indeed a very alarming sign.'
Y. Alp Aslandogan, the president of The Alliance for Shared Values, a non-profit group affiliated with Gulen, said: 'We categorically deny such accusations and find them to be highly irresponsible."
The group issued a previous statement that said: 'For more than 40 years, Fethullah Gulen and Hizmet participants have advocated for, and demonstrated their commitment to, peace and democracy.
'We condemn any military intervention in domestic politics of Turkey.
Lawyer Robert Amsterdam, whose firm represents the Republic of Turkey, named Gulen and said there were 'indications of direct involvement' (pictured, people attempting to stop a tank in Ankara)
'We remain concerned about the safety and security of Turkish citizens and those in Turkey right now. Comments by pro-Erdogan circles about the movement are highly irresponsible.'
Amsterdam also accused Gulen of 'unlawful conduct' last month, but a lawsuit against the cleric was thrown out by a federal judge, who said the allegations that he organized authorities in Turkey against a rival group did not belong in the US courts.
Some of the US schools started by Hizmet have been investigated by the FBI amid allegations of financial mismanagement and visa fraud.
One of the most explosive claims is that the schools are importing Turkish teachers to identify impressionable students and indoctrinate them into Gulen's movement.
In May, a complaint filed with Texas education officials accused a network of charter schools associated with the Gulen movement of abusing a visa program to import large numbers of Turkish teachers and violating state and federal laws by paying them more than American teachers.
During the coup on Friday, Turkish military killed at least 60 people - 17 of those police officers - in the army's bid to overthrow the Islamic government that lasted about five hours.
Elsewhere troops opened fire on civilians attempting to cross the river Bosporus in Istanbul in protest to the military coup, while a bomb hit the parliament building according to the state's press agency as the security situation in the country becomes more perilous.
Erdogan urged his supporters to ignore the curfew and take back control of the country.
Tanks and armored personnel carriers tried to seize strategic points in Istanbul and Ankara but were faced down by unarmed civilians, some of whom were pictured laying in front of the tracked wheels.
Fethullah Gulen, a reclusive religious scholar in Pennsylvania, maybe behind the attempted coup in Turkey '-- Quartz
As tanks take up positions in the streets and jets fly overhead in a dramatic coup attempt in Turkey, suspicion has fallen on Fethullah Gulen, a US-based Turkish religious scholar and political enemy of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the strongman Turkish president.
Until now, Erdogan had appeared to have crushed the 75-year-old Gulen, who has deep roots in the Turkish political, military, judicial, and media establishments, as well as in Muslim countries around the world. But if, as Erdogan himself has alleged, Gulen or his followers are involved in the putsch, then it demonstrates that he remains a force to contend with, though he has lived for years in seclusion in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania.
The Alliance for Shared Values, the movement affiliated with Gulen, denied any involvement in the coup, saying: ''we condemn any military intervention in (the) domestic politics of Turkey.''
Erdogan, who returned to Istanbul late Friday evening'--a sign that the plot against him was floundering'--blamed Gulen's followers for the coup and said, ''they will pay heavy price for treason.''
In recent weeks, Erdogan has visibly sought to shore up his regional political position by ending the hostility in his relations with Israel and Russia. But until today, there was no indication that he might be in trouble domestically. If it is successful, it will be one of the most surprising coups in modern memory.
Until a few years ago, the shadowy Gulen was an Erdogan ally, and backed his rise, first as prime minister and then president. But in late 2013, Gulen challenged Erdogan's tightening grip on power. Law-enforcement and judicial officials thought to be loyal to Gulen brought corruption charges against people close to Erdogan, in a campaign that appeared even to be going after Erdogan's two sons. It was not clear who would win what appeared to be a clear struggle for control of the country. In early 2014, however, Erdogan struck back, purging hundreds of Turkish police officials who had been part of the investigation.
Over the last two years, Erdogan has punched back, closing opposition newspapers or firing their editors, including of the leading daily, Zaman. He consolidated his power last November, rerunning elections after a previous round in June had ended in a hung parliament.
The exact reasons behind the timing of the coup attempt was not clear, but it could be an effort to head off Erdogan's plans to run a referendum later this year to change the constitution to confer more power on the presidency.
This article was originally published by the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM) on 13 July 2016.
Dimitrios Triantaphyllou | Professor, Director of the Centre for International and European Studies (CIES), Kadir Has University, Istanbul
As if out of the blue, but not really a surprise at all, Turkey has in the last week announced both a rapprochement process with Israel and an attempt to mend relations with Russia. It has also made overtures to Egypt to improve bilateral commercial and economic ties, though its relations with the Sisi regime remain politically complicated. The flurry of diplomatic activity on the part of Turkey's government indicates that the situation before diplomatic overtures was becoming increasingly unfeasible, and that Turkey's isolation was growing. This isolation found Ankara increasingly at odds with its neighbours and partners, threatening Turkey's self-cultivated image as a soft power. This image has been eroding with the escalation of the Syrian crisis, the surge of violence in the country's southeast in the state's fight against the PKK, and the series of bombings both by Kurdish militants and the Islamic State across the country. In other words, Turkey was becoming an unreliable and ineffectual contributor to the region's security.
Reaching out to Israel and Egypt implies that the AKP government is turning away from its proclivity for ideology-laden foreign policy. It also suggests a realisation by Ankara that, based on a power politics assessment, its continued ambivalence toward the Islamic State was further marginalising Turkey and weakening its ability to shape and influence the future of the region, especially the eastern Mediterranean (including the resolution of the Cyprus problem), together with the other relevant stakeholders. The latest terror attack at Istanbul's main airport, although planned and orchestrated before diplomacy took centre stage, suggests that the policy reversal in now complete. Although further attacks are a very real possibility, Turkey is bound to expect more empathy and support from its allies. The reopening of the airport the day after the attacks indicates a degree of state and regime resilience that it will not easily be broken. The turn toward Tel Aviv and Cairo also suggests an understanding that Turkey has potentially much to gain from a developing Western regional security complex in the eastern Mediterranean, which should also include Greece and Turkey together with Israel and Egypt. The opening of a new chapter in Turkey's accession negotiations with the EU during the same week is also indicative of its enhanced status.
The effort to remedy relations between Ankara and Moscow is an attempt both to enhance the bilateral economic ties between the two countries, which had been damaged by the seven-month hiatus in trade, and to put an end to an anomaly which served neither country's interests well. Both Ankara and Moscow realise that they have too many common interests that bind them in their opposition to any challenges to the Montreux Convention, which regulates sea traffic in the Dardanelles and the Bosporus to the energy sector where Moscow projects itself as a key producer and Ankara as a key transit hub. Thus, closer ties between Turkey and Russia in this respect would put the attempt to get closer to Ukraine over the last few months on hold.
Another point of interest was the recent NATO Warsaw Summit of 8-9 July, where many Alliance members were seeking to place the Black Sea on the agenda in order to counter growing Russian assertiveness there. By playing the Russia card when it did, Turkey was attempting to ensure itself a stronger hand in shaping the conclusions drawn at the Warsaw summit, as Ankara, like Moscow, views the Black Sea as a region of privileged interest. By virtue of its geography, rapprochement with Russia also strengthens Turkey's hand in terms of the developing regional dynamics in the eastern Mediterranean. Thus, by virtue of improving its ties with Tel Aviv and Moscow in one fell swoop, Ankara becomes once again an indispensable player in its neighbourhood.
Kerim Has | Expert on Eurasian politics, International Strategic Research Organisation (ISRO, USAK), Turkey
In his first public speech since taking office, broadcast on May 24th, the newly appointed Prime Minister of Turkey Binali Yıldırım said the following: ''We will increase the number of friends and decrease the number of enemies''. This was a signal of a comprehensive shift in the core values and interests of that have informed Turkish foreign policy in recent years. President Recep Erdogan's team has accelerated the normalisation of relations with Israel and begun a new process of re-establishing ties with the critical players in the region, specifically with Russia, but now also with Egypt, and probably later with Syria.
In fact, Turkey's reasons for such a metamorphosis in its foreign policy strategy with respect to Russia are sufficient. First, the Turkish economy suffered significantly from the embargo imposed by Russia after a Turkish fighter plane shot down a Russian bomber in 2015. Turkey's exports to Russia dropped sharply, by 60 per cent in the first four-month period of 2016, directly following the incident. No one knows exactly how many billions of dollars Turkeys tourism sector and other Turkish companies' investments in Russia have lost. No doubt the sanctions have also hurt the Russian people in a significant manner, but this is not comparable to the damage done on the Turkish side.
Secondly, the increasing security threats for Turkey arising from the Syrian crisis pushed Ankara to make peace with Moscow. Many ambiguities in Russia's regional Kurdish vision, which is yet to be established, gave Turkey room to maneouvre in its last ''letter diplomacy'' move. Also, the multi-dimensional terrorism threat derived from the Islamic State, the Al-Nusra Front, the Syrian crisis in general, and the activation of PKK terrorism in Turkey in the last year, pushed the Turkish authorities to normalise the relations with Russia as a newly emerging and highly influential player on the ground in the Middle East.
Last but not least, the regional agenda requires Turkey to pursue a more balanced and cautious policy with respect to Russia. The increasing militarisation of the Black Sea in the last months, the fragile stability in the South Caucasus threatened by the recent tension between Azerbaijan and Armenia, along with the damage caused to Turkey's trade ties with the Central Asian republics as a result of the bomber crisis, are all key motives behind the new dialogue between Turkey and Russia, in the regions where the interests of Ankara and Moscow intersect.
After such experience in Turkish-Russian relations, it is possible to anticipate a ''cautious normalisation'' process between the two sides in the coming period. As both suffered from the sanctions imposed by Russia, it will not be surprising if most of them, specifically in the trade, investment and tourism sectors, are lifted within a short period of time. In the medium term, much will depend on ''rebuilding mutual trust'' between not only the heads of both countries but also whole political elites and societies, as perceptions on each side have been severely damaged by intensive and negative propaganda in the last seven months. However, the degree to which relations between Turkey and Russia are truly repaired will be determined by the extent to which both sides will find a lingua franca and act jointly in key regional issues, firstly and urgently in Syria.
Maria PrzeÅomiec is a journalist, and a graduate of Jagellonian University in Cracow, Poland. From February 1990 until December 2006 she worked as a lead correspondent on the states of the former Soviet Union for the Polish section of the BBC. Since February 2007 she has worked as an anchor for the Polish public television channel TVP where she runs 'Studio Wsch"d', a programme dedicated to the politics and society of the former Soviet Union.
For more information on issues and events that shape our world, please visit our CSS Security Watch Series or browse our Publications.
Operation Valkyrie (German: Unternehmen Walk¼re) was a German World War II emergency continuity of government operations plan issued to the Territorial Reserve Army of Germany to execute and implement in case of a general breakdown in civil order of the nation. Failure of the government to maintain control of civil affairs might have been caused by the Allied bombing of German cities, or uprising of the millions of foreign forced laborers working in German factories.
German Army (Heer) officers General Friedrich Olbricht, Major General Henning von Tresckow, and Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg modified the plan with the intention of using it to take control of German cities, disarm the SS, and arrest the Nazi leadership once Hitler had been assassinated in the 20 July plot. Hitler's death (as opposed to his arrest) was required to free German soldiers from their oath of loyalty to him (Reichswehreid). After lengthy preparation, the plot was activated in 1944, but failed.
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The original plan, designed to deal with internal disturbances in emergency situations, was designed by General Friedrich Olbricht's staff in his capacity as head of General Army Office and was approved by Hitler.[1] The idea of using the Reserve Army in the German homeland for a coup existed before, but the refusal of Colonel-General Friedrich Fromm, Chief of the Reserve Army and the only person who could initiate Operation Valkyrie besides Hitler, to cooperate, was a serious obstacle to the conspirators. Nevertheless, after the lessons of a failed assassination attempt on 13 March 1943, Olbricht felt that the original coup plan was inadequate and that the Reserve Army should be used in the coup even without Fromm's cooperation.
The original Valkyrie order only dealt with strategy to ensure combat readiness of units among scattered elements of the Reserve Army. Olbricht added a second part, 'Valkyrie II' which provided for the swift mustering of units into battle groups ready for action. In August and September 1943, General Henning von Tresckow found Olbricht's revision inadequate, thus greatly expanded the Valkyrie plan and drafted new supplementary orders. A secret declaration began with the words: "The F¼hrer Adolf Hitler is dead! A treacherous group of party leaders has attempted to exploit the situation by attacking our embattled soldiers from the rear to seize power for themselves." Detailed instructions were written for occupation of government ministries in Berlin, Himmler's headquarters in East Prussia, radio stations, telephone exchanges, other Nazi infrastructure through military districts, and concentration camps.[1] (Previously, it was believed that Colonel Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg was mainly responsible for the Valkyrie plan, but documents recovered by the Soviet Union after the war and released in 2007 suggest that a detailed plan was developed by Tresckow in autumn 1943.)[2] All documents were handled by Tresckow's wife, Erika, and by Margarete von Oven, his secretary. Both women wore gloves to leave no fingerprints.[3]
In essence, the plan was to trick the Reserve Army into the seizure and removal of the civilian government of wartime Germany under the false pretense that the SS had attempted a coup d'tat and assassinated Hitler. The key requirement was that the rank-and-file soldiers and junior officers who were supposed to execute this plan would be motivated to do so based upon their false belief that it was the Nazi civilian leadership who had behaved with disloyalty and treason against the state, and were therefore required to be removed. The conspirators counted on the soldiers to obey their orders as long as they came from the legitimate channel '-- namely, the Reserve Army High Command in the emergency situation following Hitler's death. Apart from Hitler, only General Friedrich Fromm, commander of the Reserve Army, could activate Operation Valkyrie. Therefore, Fromm had to either be won over to the conspiracy, or in some way neutralized for the plan to succeed. Fromm, like many senior officers, largely knew about the military conspiracies against Hitler, but neither supported them nor reported them to the Gestapo.
The key role in its actual implementation was played by Colonel Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, after his assassination attempt on Hitler on 20 July 1944. Stauffenberg also further improved the Valkyrie plan and made changes to address changing situations. Stauffenberg's position as Chief of Staff of the Reserve Army gave him access to Hitler for reports and at the same time required his presence at headquarters for implementation of Valkyrie. At first, Tresckow and Stauffenberg sought out other officers with access to Hitler who could carry out the assassination. General Helmuth Stieff, Chief of Organization in Army High Command, volunteered to be the assassin but later backed down. Tresckow attempted several times to be assigned to Hitler's headquarters without success. Finally, Stauffenberg decided to carry out both the assassination attempt and the Valkyrie operation, which greatly reduced the chance of success. After two abortive attempts, Stauffenberg placed the bomb on 20 July and hurried back to Berlin to assume his pivotal role.
Discovering that the bomb had not killed Hitler, Fromm ordered the executions of General Friedrich Olbricht, his chief of staff Colonel Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, and his adjutant Lieutenant Werner von Haeften. Shortly after midnight, the condemned men were led to a mound of earth back-lit by idling vehicles where each was executed by firing squad in the courtyard of Bendlerstrasse headquarters.[4]
Initial order to the WehrkreiseEditI. The F¼hrer Adolf Hitler is dead!
An unscrupulous clique of party leaders alien to the front has attempted, under the exploitation of this situation, to betray the hard-struggling front and to seize power for their own selfish purposes.II. In this hour of greatest danger, the government of the Reich has declared a state of military emergency for the maintenance of law and order and at the same time has transferred the executive power, with the supreme command of the Wehrmacht, to me.
III. With this, I order:
1. I transfer the executive power '' with the right of delegation, to the territorial commanders '' on the home front, to the commander of the army reserves under the simultaneous appointment to the supreme commander in the homeland war '' in the occupied western area, to the supreme commander west '' in Italy, to the supreme commander southwest '' in the occupied eastern area, to the supreme commander of the army groups and the commander of the Wehrmacht eastern land for their respective area of command '' in Denmark and Norway, to the Wehrmacht commander.2. The holders of executive power have control over:a) all sections and units of the Wehrmacht, including the Waffen-SS, RAD and the OT, within their area of command;b) all public authorities (of the Reich, Germany, the states and the municipalities), especially the entire law enforcement police, security police and administrative police;c) all office bearers and subdivisions of the NSDAP and those of its affiliated associations;d) the transportation services and public utilities3. The entire Waffen-SS is integrated into the army with immediate effect.4. The holders of executive power are responsible for the maintenance of public order and security. They especially have to ensure:a) the protection of communicationsb) the elimination of the SD (Security Service).Any opposition to the military power of enforcement is to be ruthlessly crushed.In this hour of highest danger for the Fatherland, unity of the Wehrmacht and the maintenance of full discipline are the uppermost requirements.That is why I make it the duty of all commanders of the army, the navy, and the air force to support the holders of executive power in carrying out their difficult task with all means at their disposal and to guarantee the compliance of their directives by the subordinate sections. The German soldier stands before a historical task. It will depend on his energy and attitude whether Germany will be saved.
In film and televisionEditBibliographyEditEnglishEditPhilipp von Boeselager, "Valkyrie: The Plot to Kill Hitler, trans. Steven Rendall, Phoenix (Weidenfeld and Nicolson), 2009 (ISBN 978-0-7538-2566-2)Joachim Fest, Plotting Hitler's Death: The German Resistance to Hitler, 1933''1945, 1996 (ISBN 0-8050-5648-3)Hans Bernd Gisevius, Valkyrie: An Insider's Account of the Plot to Kill Hitler, 2009 reprint of one volume abridgement of two volume text, To the Bitter End, 1947. Foreword by Allen Welsh Dulles, introduction by Peter Hoffmann. Translated by Richard and Clara Winston; Da Capo Press, Cambridge, MA (ISBN 978-0-306-81771-7)Nigel Jones, Countdown to Valkyrie: The July Plot to Assassinate Hitler. Frontline, 2008 (ISBN 9781848325081)GermanEditHelena Page, General Friedrich Olbricht: Ein Mann des 20. Julis, 1993, Bouvier Verlag, Bonn ISBN 3-416-02514-8Dr. phil. Gerd R. Uebersch¤r: Auf dem Weg zum 20. Juli 1944, Motive und Entwicklung der Milit¤ropposition gegen Hitler.,[1]Bernd R¼thers: Spiegelbild einer Verschw¶rung '' Zwei Abschiedsbriefe zum 20. Juli 1944. Juristenzeitung 14/2005, pp. 689''698Hans-Adolf Jacobsen (Hrsg.): Spiegelbild einer Verschw¶rung. Die Opposition gegen Hitler und der Staatsstreich vom 20. Juli 1944 in der SD-Berichterstattung. Geheime Dokumente aus dem ehemaligen Reichssicherheitshauptamt. 2 Vol., Stuttgart 1984Peter Hoffmann: Widerstand, Staatsstreich, Attentat. Der Kampf der Opposition gegen Hitler. Munich 1985 Montserrat (reissue)NotesEdit^ abJoachim Fest, Plotting Hitler's Death: The German Resistance to Hitler, 1933''1945, 1996, p219^Peter Hoffmann, "Oberst i. G. Henning von Tresckow und die Staatsstreichpl¤ne im Jahr 1943^Joachim Fest, Plotting Hitler's Death: The German Resistance to Hitler, 1933''1945, 1996, p220^Rupert Butler, The Gestapo: A History of Hitler's Secret Police 1933-45. London: Amber Books Ltd. 2004. pg. 149.
July 16, 2016Be advised that local authorities are denying movements on to and off of Incirlik Air Base. The power there has also been cut. Please avoid the air base until normal operations have been restored.
In addition, the Adana airport has re-opened but flights to and from Istanbul and Ankara remain suspended. Please check the website of your airline for up to date flight information before going to the airport.
For further detailed information regarding Turkey and travel:
See the State Department's travel website for the Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Turkey's Country Specific Information. Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency. Contact the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, located at 110 Ataturk Boulevard, Kavaklidere, 06100 Ankara, at +90-312-455-5555,8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. After-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is +90-312-455-5555 or +90-212-335-9000 (U.S. Consulate General Istanbul). Contact the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul, located at 2 U§sehitler Sokagi, 34460, Istinye, Sariyer, at +90-212-335-9000. Contact the U.S. Consulate in Adana, located at 212 Girne Bulvari, Guzelevler Mahallesi, Yuregir, Adana at +90-322-455-4100. Contact the Consular Agency in Izmir at Izmir@state.gov. Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Erdogan gives Turkish military immunity | World | The Times & The Sunday Times
Erdogan gives Turkish military immunity | World | The Times & The Sunday TimesHannah Lucinda Smith, Istanbul
People mourn Mehmet Sirin Kaya, who was killed during fighting between Turkish forces and Kurdish fighters. Turkish soldiers will now be protected from prosecutionIlyas Akengin/GettyPresident Erdogan has handed wide-ranging legal immunity to the Turkish military, in the latest sign of a d(C)tente between the former enemies.
A bill signed off by Mr Erdogan on Wednesday and published in the Official Gazette yesterday protects soldiers taking part in domestic security operations from prosecution by requiring government approval for legal cases to proceed.
Cases against commanders must now be approved by the prime minister, while those against lower-ranking soldiers can be signed off by district governors.
The military is increasingly taking the lead in operations against the Kurdish militia the PKK in the east of Turkey.'...
damien" from Moon of Alabama that sums up the ridiculous, and staged, attention the western MSM pays blogger Elliot Higgins, aka Bellingcat... Charles Wood, an expert in digital images and metadata, takes issue with Higgins's treatment ofimage data. A Russian blogger NTV makes similar objections. And a Dutch blogger provides credible evidence that Higgins has himself been faking his key photographs. In relation to MH17 Russia Insider blogger Byzantium provides an outstanding survey of all the key evidence issues, in the process further discrediting Bellingcat.The BUK missile system's manufacturer Almaz-Antey gets into the picture. The company had been the subject of European sanctions over the use of its missile on MH17 and appealed to the European Court of Justice:On the strength of a technical study of the aircraft damage Almaz-Antey claims MH17 was shot down by a BUK missile of a type not made in Russia since 1999.Almaz-Antey claims the BUK was launched from near the settlement of Zaroschshenskoe, which is in the area where the Russian satellite imagery show a Ukrainian BUK missile launcher present on the day of the tragedy. Almaz-Antey rules out on technical grounds any possibility of MH17 having been shot down by a BUK missile launched from Snizhnoe, which is the theory favored by those who say MH17 was shot down by the militia.
Meanwhile Higgins has been adopted as an expert by the Atlantic Council and is one of the coauthors of a key anti-Putin report by the Council leadership which was published on May 28. Higgins is described as "a Visiting Research Associate in the Department of War Studies at King's College London". The Council also sponsored him on a trip to Ukraine.You have to ask why this amateur is given this level of political prominence. Blogger Deep Resource identifies some of his backers.Bellingcat aka Elliot Higgins is nothing more than a simple charlatan. This guys 15 minutes are way over. Let's move on to the real experts and pros in order to finally uncover the MH17 coverup. Via Moon of Alabama from a post entitled, "Media's Beloved "Expert" Eliot Higgins - Wrong Again And Again And Again"...Eliot Higgins aka Brown Moses, the founder of Bellingcat "by and for citizen investigative journalists", is beloved by NATO media. Higgins is always able to "prove" by amateur "analysis" of open source data that the "bad guys", just as the U.S. or NATO claim, did indeed do the bad thing that happened. The problem is that Higgins is no expert of anything. He was an unemployed office worker who looked at Youtube videos from Syria and tried Internet searches to find out what weapons were visible in the videos. That is all that made him an "expert". But Higgins claimed to prove that the Syrian government launched rockets with Sarin on Ghouta, an area south of Damascus. An MIT professor and real expert proved (pdf) that he was wrong. Higgins claimed to "prove" that rockets launched from Russia hit Ukraine by looking at aerial pictures of impact craters. But a real expert of the method said that crater analysis is ''highly experimental and prone to inaccuracy'' and warned against its use without further corroboration. Now another "expert" of Bellingcat, who's source of "expertise" is unknown but likely also low, tries to prove that Russia manipulated some aerial pictures it published about the MH17 airline incident in Ukraine. That madesomesplash in the usual NATO media but is complete nonsense. Yes, the pictures were obviously "manipulated" as labels were added to them. But that the visual content of the pictures were changed, as the "expert" claimed to prove by a JPEG compression analysis, is clearly bullshit. The "expert" claims that "all image content should present roughly the same [compression] error levels if the photo has not been altered." That is nonsense. JPEG compresses a flat white surface with low error level and a rough multicolor part of a picture with a higher compression error level. That is digital compression 101 which I myself learned when I was doing a bit of math work on the early PNG format definition. So it turns out that the "expert" simply doesnot understand how JPEG compression works. Out of three big "finds" that made it into the media Higgins and Bellingcat had three that were proven to be wrong by real experts. Any media who further quote "analysis" by the "experts" Higgins and Bellingcat should be regarded as propaganda outlet and not as a serious source of news.
" target="_blank">We start with an excellent comment from user "damien" from Moon of Alabama that sums up the ridiculous, and staged, attention the western MSM pays blogger Elliot Higgins, aka Bellingcat... Charles Wood, an expert in digital images and metadata, takes issue with Higgins's treatment of image data. A Russian blogger NTV makes similar objections. And a Dutch blogger provides credible evidence that Higgins has himself been faking his key photographs.In relation to MH17 Russia Insider blogger Byzantium provides an outstanding survey of all the key evidence issues, in the process further discrediting Bellingcat.The BUK missile system's manufacturer Almaz-Antey gets into the picture. The company had been the subject of European sanctions over the use of its missile on MH17 and appealed to the European Court of Justice:On the strength of a technical study of the aircraft damage Almaz-Antey claims MH17 was shot down by a BUK missile of a type not made in Russia since 1999.Almaz-Antey claims the BUK was launched from near the settlement of Zaroschshenskoe, which is in the area where the Russian satellite imagery show a Ukrainian BUK missile launcher present on the day of the tragedy. Almaz-Antey rules out on technical grounds any possibility of MH17 having been shot down by a BUK missile launched from Snizhnoe, which is the theory favored by those who say MH17 was shot down by the militia.
Meanwhile Higgins has been adopted as an expert by the Atlantic Council and is one of the coauthors of a key anti-Putin report by the Council leadership which was published on May 28. Higgins is described as "a Visiting Research Associate in the Department of War Studies at King's College London". The Council also sponsored him on a trip to Ukraine.You have to ask why this amateur is given this level of political prominence. Blogger Deep Resource identifies some of his backers.Bellingcat aka Elliot Higgins is nothing more than a simple charlatan. This guys 15 minutes are way over. Let's move on to the real experts and pros in order to finally uncover the MH17 coverup. Via Moon of Alabama from a post entitled, "Media's Beloved "Expert" Eliot Higgins - Wrong Again And Again And Again"...Eliot Higgins aka Brown Moses, the founder of Bellingcat "by and for citizen investigative journalists", is beloved by NATO media. Higgins is always able to "prove" by amateur "analysis" of open source data that the "bad guys", just as the U.S. or NATO claim, did indeed do the bad thing that happened. The problem is that Higgins is no expert of anything. He was an unemployed office worker who looked at Youtube videos from Syria and tried Internet searches to find out what weapons were visible in the videos. That is all that made him an "expert". But Higgins claimed to prove that the Syrian government launched rockets with Sarin on Ghouta, an area south of Damascus. An MIT professor and real expert proved (pdf) that he was wrong. Higgins claimed to "prove" that rockets launched from Russia hit Ukraine by looking at aerial pictures of impact craters. But a real expert of the method said that crater analysis is ''highly experimental and prone to inaccuracy'' and warned against its use without further corroboration. Now another "expert" of Bellingcat, who's source of "expertise" is unknown but likely also low, tries to prove that Russia manipulated some aerial pictures it published about the MH17 airline incident in Ukraine. That madesomesplash in the usual NATO media but is complete nonsense. Yes, the pictures were obviously "manipulated" as labels were added to them. But that the visual content of the pictures were changed, as the "expert" claimed to prove by a JPEG compression analysis, is clearly bullshit. The "expert" claims that "all image content should present roughly the same [compression] error levels if the photo has not been altered." That is nonsense. JPEG compresses a flat white surface with low error level and a rough multicolor part of a picture with a higher compression error level. That is digital compression 101 which I myself learned when I was doing a bit of math work on the early PNG format definition. So it turns out that the "expert" simply doesnot understand how JPEG compression works. Out of three big "finds" that made it into the media Higgins and Bellingcat had three that were proven to be wrong by real experts. Any media who further quote "analysis" by the "experts" Higgins and Bellingcat should be regarded as propaganda outlet and not as a serious source of news.
Obama proposes new military partnership with Russia in Syria - The Washington Post
The Obama administration has proposed a new agreement on Syria to the Russian government that would deepen military cooperation between the two countries against some terrorists in exchange for Russia getting the Assad regime to stop bombing U.S.-supported rebels.
The United States transmitted the text of the proposed agreement to the Russian government on Monday after weeks of negotiations and internal Obama administration deliberations, an administration official told me. The crux of the deal is a U.S. promise to join forces with the Russian air force to share targeting and coordinate an expanded bombing campaign against Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaeda's branch in Syria, which is primarily fighting the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Under the proposal, which was personally approved by President Obama and heavily supported by Secretary of State John F. Kerry, the American and Russian militaries would cooperate at an unprecedented level, something the Russians have sought for a long time.
In exchange, the Russians would agree to pressure the Assad regime to stop bombing certain Syrian rebel groups the United States does not consider terrorists. The United States would not give Russia the exact locations of these groups, under the proposal, but would specify geographic zones that would be safe from the Assad regime's aerial assaults.
During a question and answer session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, President Vladimir Putin said Russia did not want a new Cold war with the West and did not like to think it was slipping into one. (Reuters)
Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter was opposed to this plan, officials said, but was ultimately compelled to go along with the president's decision. For many inside and outside the administration who are frustrated with the White House's decision-making on Syria, the new plan is fatally flawed for several reasons.
''One big flaw is that it's clear that the Russians have no intent to put heavy pressure on Assad,'' said former U.S. ambassador to Syria Robert Ford. ''And in those instances when the Russians have put pressure on, they've gotten minimal results from the Syrians.''
There's not enough reliable intelligence to distinguish Jabhat al-Nusra targets from the other rebel groups they often live near, Ford said. And even if the Syrians agreed not to bomb certain zones, there would be no way to stop Jabhat al-Nusra and other groups from moving around to adjust. Moreover, increased bombing of Jabhat al-Nusra would be likely to cause collateral damage including civilian deaths, which would only bolster the group's local support.
''It makes no sense to me,'' said Ford. ''If they are trying to destroy al-Qaeda in Syria, do they really think bombing them is the way to do it? F-16s do not solve recruitment problems with extremist groups.''
One administration official complained that the plan contains no consequences for the Russians or the Assad regime if they don't hold up their end of the bargain. Fifty-one U.S. diplomats signed a dissent letter this month calling on the White House to use targeted military force against the Assad regime as a means of increasing the pressure on Assad and giving the U.S. real leverage.
Kerry has been threatening for months that if Assad doesn't respect the current cease-fire, known as the ''cessation of hostilities,'' that there was a ''Plan B'' of increasing arms to the Syrian rebels. But the White House has now scuttled that plan in favor of the proposed Russia deal, which could actually leave the rebels in a far worse position.
Because most Jabhat al-Nusra fighters are fighting Assad, if the plan succeeds, Assad will be in a much better position. Meanwhile, the other Sunni Arab groups that are left fighting Assad will be in a much weaker position, said Andrew Tabler, senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The strategy could allow Assad to capture Aleppo, which would be a huge victory for his side in the civil war.
''If the U.S. and Russia open up on Jabhat al-Nusra, that changes the dynamics on the ground in Aleppo and Idlib,'' he said. ''It would definitely benefit the Assad regime and it could potentially benefit the Kurds and ISIS.''
For Russia, the deal is not just about Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin sees increased military cooperation as an acknowledgment of Russian importance and a way to gradually unwind Russia's isolation following the Russian military intervention in Ukraine. That's why Carter was initially opposed to the plan, officials said.
''The Russians have made it very clear that they want military-to-military cooperation with the U.S., not just to fight terrorism, but to improve their world standing,'' said Tabler. ''It is a way to be welcomed back into the fold.''
State Department spokesman John Kirby declined to comment on the specifics of the proposal but defended its basic principles.
''We have been clear about Russia's obligations to ensure regime compliance with the cessation of hostilities. We have also been clear about the danger posed by al-Qaeda in Syria to our own national security,'' he said. ''We are looking at a number of measures to address both of these issues.''
For the White House, the priority in Syria is not solving the Syrian civil war, which most White House officials believe is intractable, or forcing the ouster of Assad. Senior administration officials admit that Russia and Assad are violating the cease-fire and failing to show the will to advance the political process. But the White House has decided not to go back to the plan of increasing pressure on the Assad regime.
''Analytically speaking, the path of military escalation by one side or the other is not likely to lead to a final outcome in Syria,'' one senior administration official told me. ''It's essentially a stalemate.''
The White House wants to keep the cease-fire in place for as long as possible, despite the violations, and wants to keep the political process going, despite the lack of progress.
''We want to keep the violence as low as possible for as long as possible,'' the official said. ''What we have to look at is, what is the alternative? And the alternative is either the levels of violence that we saw months ago .'.'. or we could see the violence get even worse.''
CIA Director John Brennan said Wednesday in remarks at the Council on Foreign Relations that Russia is ''trying to crush'' anti-Assad forces and that Moscow has not lived up to its commitments regarding the cease-fire or the political process in Syria. Nevertheless, Brennan said, the United States needs to work with Russia.
''There's going to be no way forward on the political front without active Russian cooperation and genuine Russian interest in moving forward,'' he said.
If the price of getting Russia on board with the Syrian political process is to further abandon the Syrian rebels and hand Assad large swaths of territory, it's a bad deal. It's an even worse deal if Russia takes the U.S. offer and then doesn't deliver on its corresponding obligations.
The Obama administration is understandably trying to find some creative way to salvage its Syria policy in its final months. But the proposal that Obama offered Putin will have costs for the U.S. position vis- -vis Russia as well as for the Syrian crisis long after Obama leaves office.
Black Lives Matter ''Day of Rage'' Was a Huge FlopCultureBy Amy MorenoJuly 16, 2016That awkward moment when your Back Lives Matter ''Day of Rage'' turns out to be ''30 white goobs in khakis and Birkenstocks.''
Friday, July 15, was supposed to be the Black Lives Matter ''Day of Rage'' in cities across the US.
I've seen dying fish ''flop'' less than this.
If by ''rage'' they meant a bunch of white goobs aimlessly meandering around, then mission accomplished!
Black Lives Matter held ''RAGES'' in Texas, Portland, Oakland, and a few other cities.
I couldn't tell if this was a protest or a group of people impatiently waiting for the Denver Whole Foods to open.
Urban Dictionary: ethnomasochismSelf loathing, based upon one's own racial make-up, religion, or other family heritage.
Once Bobby's college professor explained that all things bad were the result of white racism, Bobby would criticize his own white heritage. His black friends thought his ethnomasochism made him look like a candy ass pussy.
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#BlackLivesMatter leader DeRay Mckesson may claim to be leading a grassroots revolution for racial and economic justice, but he has close connections with the privileged and elite.
Mckesson lives in a home owned by philanthropists James and Robin Wood in Baltimore, Maryland.
It's the same address he used when declaring his residency on his campaign committee registration form for his failed mayoral run in the city's Democratic primary earlier this year.
The Woods have owned the home since 1996 and are wealthy donors to the Baltimore chapter of George Soros' Open Society Institute.
Robin is so active that she was made a board member of the far-left non-profit back in 2008, according to the OSI's website.
The OSI site describes the Williams:
They moved to Baltimore in 1995, when Jimmy had the opportunity to return to his hometown to become director of the orthopedic faculty practice at Sinai Hospital. For the past five years, he has been chief of orthopedics at Harbor Hospital and Robin threw herself into nonprofit work in Baltimore, first with the Community Law Center. She has served on the boards of Associated Black Charities, Safe and Sound, the Baltimore School for the Arts and the Baltimore Community Foundation boards. In 2008, Robin joined the OSI-Baltimore board of directors. She is also now attending the University Of Maryland School of Law.
Soros groups have had several connections to #BlackLivesMatter organizers and activists.
According to Politico, the Soros backed group The Democracy Alliance donated to several race-based movement organizations that ally with the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
Internal documents from Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment, a group organizing the protests in Ferguson after the death of Michael Brown, showed activists being paid.
Infowars reported:
'...MORE was one of the groups that received a share of the $33 million invested into the #BlackLivesMatter movement by billionaire George Soros.
On Monday, the Balimore Sun reported the 31-year-old agitator Mckesson is making a handsome salary courtesy of Baltimore school district taxpayers.
In his new role, Mckesson is earning a salary of $165,000 as the district's third chief of human capital in two years, and manage of a budget of $4 million and 56 employees.
After being appointed last month, Mckesson said he was ready to get to work.
''At its core, this role is about finding great people, matching them to the right role, and helping them to develop and experience careers in the service of our kids,'' he said. ''I am excited to return to city schools '... and to continue doing the work to ensure that every child in Baltimore City receives a world-class education.''
As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
In writing this article, no one has ever for Mockingbird or cartel reasons, ever examined the inner workings of the NGO's or Non Governmental Organizations, which plague the planet and manifest as conduits of the globalists who are manipulating everyone against each other, as there are always the willing activist or minder who will do anything for their cause.
I became interested in Black Lives Matter, not for the movement, but when this group triggered the Dallas Shooter, and how it all was tracked back to Governor Mark Dayton of Minnesota, attempting on Hillary Clinton's directives to get a Minnesota shooting spiked, for the purpose of herding blacks to vote for Mrs. Clinton, guilt the Clinton Sanders whites to stay on the liberal reservation and to punish law enforcement unions for not being wholeheartedly for Mrs. Clinton.
The reality of these events in Minnesota and Dallas, is they are leftists, and designed to be exploited by Mrs. Clinton, in order to change the news cycle from her crimes, to racial tensions which can be used against Donald Trump.We had an inkling of the coordination in this, when Jesse Jackson was put on view at FOX, and began by attacking Donald Trump on the Birther issue and race. None of this happens by accident and is all by design.
The problem in all of this is, everyone thinks in one dimension or one story being progressed into the public, but if one examines San Bernardino shootings, there is in fact numerous dimensions being worked out by the players as in the Boston Bombing. The entire intelligence network is an entity which various groups have information on of coming events, and various groups like the Clinton campaign factor in that some type of event will take place, which they then will exploit, as this is fellow travelers going in the same direction, but in that we have travelers who are not always promoting the same agenda.
In Black Lives Matter, one finds three women who are activists in public view. If one examines these leftist groups they are managing though, all find funding from the same leftists who implement sodomy to whatever, and it is old money, it is Rockefeller money and in the case which matters, it was Van Jones, the communist of the Obama regime activists who was a founder of this movement.In other words, this is a ultra leftist programme which was run like Occupy Wall Street, protected by the powers which be, and funded by the very cartel factions engaged in the American Genocide.
Black Lives Matter
Garza: Patrisse and Opal and I are all part of a network called Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity (BOLD).
Maurice Mitchell is the ... FundingBlackorganizing needs to ... ' Support the work of organizations like BlackOrganizingforLeadershipandDignityand help ...BlackOrganizingforLeadershipandDignity. User menu . Donate; Join Commons.occupy.com; Follow: ... black organizers heard the call, saw the possibilities, ...She has organized around the issues of health, student services and rights, rights for domestic workers, ending police brutality, anti-racism, and violence against trans and gender non-conforming people of color. Her writing has been published by The Guardian, The Nation, The Feminist Wire, Rolling Stone, Huffington Post and truthout.org. She is the Director of Special Projects at the National Domestic Workers Alliance.
The Rockefeller Foundation. Our Work. Transform Cities; Transportation and Infrastructure; ... National Disaster Resilience Competition;rockefellerfoundation.org/our-work/grants/national-domestic-workeOpal Tometi is a New York-based Nigerian''American writer, strategist and community organizer. Tometi is a Co-Founder of the Black Lives Matter movement. She is the Executive Director at BAJI (Black Alliance for Just Immigration). Tometi collaborates with staff and communities in Los Angeles, Phoenix, New York, Oakland, Washington D.C. and communities throughout the Southern states. Tometi's work has been published by The Huffington Post, Time Magazine, The Root
Seed Funding; Building Capacity to Win; Rapid Response; Who We Fund; Our Impact; Apply for a Grant. ... Our Vision of a Just Future; Ways to Give; Contact Us; donate ...North Star Fund
Seeking a way to help local activists challenge the injustices of these cutbacks, Toby D'Oench, along with Martin Bunzl, and 26 other young people of inherited wealth, began forging a new philanthropic model. North Star Fund was born.
Influenced by the civil rights, women's, lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender, and anti-war movements, the founders pioneered the activist-led grantmaking model that remains a hallmark of North Star Fund's approach.
The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights grew out of Bay Area PoliceWatch, a small initiative founded in 1995 as a hotline for victims of police brutality. The hotline was based in a closet-sized office donated by the Lawyers Committee for Civil RightsThe need for assistance was great, so Bay Area PoliceWatch quickly outgrew the space and Van Jones officially launched the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights on September 1, 1996.
One begins to see patterns in this, then one of the chief activists for the Obama regime appears, and the puzzle of who is behind what and how this is all being directed with intelligence and regime cooperation begins to form a picture of the operation.As you notice in this, this is the faction which has been running the Alt Hillary operation, to corral those movements under one direction to be exploited. In short, it appears that Hillary Clinton's communications were read by more than Mark Dayton, and those who read them, decided as in San Bernadino to exploit a Hillary operation in Minnesota, by making it blood soaked in Dallas, all for their purposes.
On Tuesday, VanJones and Bakari Sellers discussed the democratic presidential race on CNN. Jones emphasized that BernieSanders sounds like a one-issue candidate ...Then into this enter the Dallas conduit, a fellow traveler of this group, pro Muslim, hiding in Christian dogma, pro sodomite, anti police, pro felon, and voicing the same activist pattern which melding all of these types together in the rather self destructive, Dr. Rev. Jeff Hood, who somehow was never thrown out of South Baptist seminary for having a mouth like Sodom and a mind like Gomorrah.This is the face of the organizer of the Dallas protests.
Jeff Hood
Following two further periods of sustained depression, I sought help against the wishes of many who love me. Pushing through the darkness, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and placed on medication. Even with the drugs, suicide has never been far from my mind. The thoughts of ending the suffering revisit me a couple of times per year.
''Jesus was the most queer person on Earth.''
In a recent post on June 18, Hood invokes Jesus as being present as the words ''Keep blowing shit up baby!'' are said, seemingly during some kind of worship service led by Hood:Just this past week, I felt the hands again. One by one, the children of God at the Church at the Table in Fort Worth stopped to affirm and celebrate my ministry. In the midst of the reverence of it all, Jesus showed up. One of my dear friends shouted out, ''Keep blowing shit up baby!''I will.Amen
The United States Flag at the Front of the Church is BlasphemousIn all of these patterns, the 5th column appears as old as Jacob Schiff funding Trotksy or the Rothschilds funding Marx. It is all this same Obama change, but while everyone is misdirected something else is taking place, and I remind people to remember the words of leftist Webster Griffin Tarpley on the Jeff Rense program.Tarpley stated the agenda was to destroy the Republican party to make it fringe like the Libertarian, and never be heard from again.
Examine Ted Cruz and the funded effort of the Bill Kristol and Erick Erickson #nevertrump grouping in how their angle is in these fringe cucks to take people off the cliff and produce the Tarpley fringe GOP which will never be a party again.
Now examine this in Hillary Clinton from the Obama regime, just gets carte blanche for all of her crimes, but in running an operation with Mark Dayton, gets sucked back into another crime in Dallas, as Mrs. Clinton's talking points are to berate white people while attempting to herd blacks to vote for her in November.
Recall Webster Tarpley's prediction that the Democratic party would be split, a Bernie revolutionary party and a Hillary old guard, who would replace each other in swaps of power. That is exactly what is taking place as the Bernie Sanders voters are voting for Donald Trump, with the old guard for Hillary Clinton, as this ultra leftist Gary Johnson is being fed the brainless Conservatives who never read that the Neo Libertarian is nothing Libertarian at all.
Let me be clear in this, in I am not stating Donald Trump is a part of this in the least. I am stating though that this cartel spots trends and does utilize political candidates, just as they overthrew the Tea Party.It sincerely appears that the agenda is to use Donald Trump if his margins keep growing to elect this movement which is revolutionary, and the real agenda is then to remove Mr. Trump as Newt Gingrich stated in David John Oates Reverse Speech and replace the Trump Revolution with another Bush Neocon con job.
That is what is vital in this, that Mr. Trump not pick one of these frauds he has been parading around, as it will be his death warrant. Donald Trump has to pick a woman who is more hard core than he is, to protect him, so his policies are enacted. But the reality is, the cartel is attempting to maneuver a GOP, as you can note by the "Delegate Committee" trying to place sodomite planks onto the platform and other Sanders wing agendas which are making the GOP the Gay Operative Party, in the pattern that Webster Griffin Tarpley expounded upon.
The murders in Dallas Texas are one of more smoking guns which will be utilized to blackmail Hillary Clinton if she gets to the White House, from the Van Jones funded activist wing of the party, or in effect, this is like EMAILGATE, an operation to see what can be extracted from Mrs. Clinton for the Obama wing of the cartel in the coming years.There have been other events like Dallas which have been covered up. The point in this being, this shooter was not triggered or made, he is one of a number of unbalanced people who are not groomed, but this is so activist now that the unbalanced by design are simply acting out.
The black in America is a commodity and has been since Jesse Jackson for the FBI began steering this black movement once Martin King was put down. The Afroid percentile is simply a conduit of political agenda having nothing to do with blacks. When Obama appeared, this minded group became radicalized again, after it was capped in the 1970's.The black will be utilized, until they are incorporated into a more militant group as the Muslim will be for this type of feudal voter intimidation.
Blacks have been monetized, just as the Jews were in the ghettos of Europe, and them militantized when they were exported to the Mideast to form an intelligence wing for the Ashkenaz Rothschilds. One can definitely expect more of this Boston Bombing, San Bernardino, Orlando type checks on Hillary Clinton in the White House as Dallas is her new albatross, because the Clinton people like Mark Dayton are not that intelligent and problems always arise.
Problems being, setting off some mass murder, due to the words of the Clinton or Obama in power, and causing them the obligatory bribe to those in another faction to make the story all go away.
To close this out, it should be noted that for Mrs. Clintons' war in Europe which Obama is setting up for America, that there will be a Pearl Harbor for America in numbers of American dead to induce Americans to this war which has already been decided upon.There are also those who desire their 30 pieces of silver and will conduct operations as in Dallas, utilizing these same leftist activists to gain payment.
Just like 9 11 tagged the Bush fam. It is the factions of the lords and the priests moving the pieces around. Black Lives Monetized.........and Mrs. Clinton was fully informed that this strategy would bring about harm to innocent people.
Another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
Nuff Said
agtG
Meet the Leftist Reverend Behind the Dallas Black Lives Matter Protest
The lead organizer of the Dallas protest where snipers opened fire on police officers has made several disturbing comments on his social media. A Breitbart News review of Jeff Hood's internet footprint revealed regular posts about the apocalypse, violent retribution to police, and Hood even recently posted about the 2013 death of a self proclaimed ''social justice warrior'' who committed suicide by lighting himself on fire in front of a shopping mall in Texas.Video of Hood speaking on camera just after the attack surfaced on social media where Hood talks about ''leading the protest.''
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Breitbart Texas' Brandon Darby tweeted about protest organizer Jeff Hood wanting to ''create a space for anger and rage'' at the Dallas protest.
Reverend Hood closely follows police shootings and state executions and regularly prays for divine retribution for police, like this post in response to a police shooting in Dallas from April 24, 2015:
For now, the blood of black men will continue to roll down driveways, streets and sidewalks with impunity. However, God is not mocked. The judgment is coming. Those police who continue to spill the blood of black men will be held accountable'...for black blood matters just as much as any other blood to God.
Also, this post from May 11, 2015:
''The police are always prepared for a gunfight. We shouldn't be surprised when they actually get one.''
In one of his most recent tweets, dated June 26, Hood tweeted a story about Social Justice Activist Charles Moore, who went out in a blaze of glory two years ago by lighting himself on fire in front of a Texas shopping mall.
In a recent post on June 18, Hood invokes Jesus as being present as the words ''Keep blowing shit up baby!'' are said, seemingly during some kind of worship service led by Hood:
Just this past week, I felt the hands again. One by one, the children of God at the Church at the Table in Fort Worth stopped to affirm and celebrate my ministry. In the midst of the reverence of it all, Jesus showed up. One of my dear friends shouted out, ''Keep blowing shit up baby!''
I will.
Amen.
The post concludes with a picture of Hood kneeling and several people holding their hands over his head.
Hood's posts and tweets add a religious and even apocalyptic zeal to the message espoused by many leftists, like this post from November 2015:
'...Oh God damn these hate crimes and all the institutions that fail to act to prevent them. No more will we sit back and allow this community to be brutalized. No more will we act like nothing is going on. No more will we stand aside as the least of these are brutalized. God we pray that you will send fire down into our hearts to bolster us in a powerful way'...then can you please send a little bit of fire down beneath our asses to keep us marching for justice. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! and'...
Hood has also written several interesting titled books. From his public page on BelieveOutLoud: ''Jeff is the author of three books, The Queer: An Interaction with The Gospel of John, The Queering of an American Evangelical and The Sociopathic Jesus. A Southerner, Queer, and Christian, Jeff is a committed activist, visionary writer and radical prophetic voice to a closed society.
Hood has also commented in defense of Muslims after other recent attacks, in posts here and here.
On the 10th Anniversary of My Ordination | Rev. Jeff Hood
The keepers of the normative have always tried to stand in my way.
Having spent years in discernment, I will never forget the first question. ''Do you believe in a literal hell?'' After an afternoon of similar questions, I passed my ordination council. When the service started, I sat in the front. Dozens of men placed their hands on my head. At the end, my dearest mentor stood up and declared me ''a strange man ordained to a strange ministry for a strange world.''
Ten years after my ordination, Jesus is still calling me.
The institutional church still tries to block my work.
The marginalized and oppressed always guide me through.
Just this past week, I felt the hands again. One by one, the children of God at the Church at the Table in Fort Worth stopped to affirm and celebrate my ministry. In the midst of the reverence of it all, Jesus showed up. One of my dear friends shouted out, ''Keep blowing shit up baby!''
I will.
Amen.
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The Blood of a Black Man in Dallas | Rev. Jeff Hood
Over a hundred times, the family of Jason Harrison reached out to Dallas police for help getting him to Parkland Memorial Hospital. Suffering from severe mental illness, Jason was often out of his mind. On June 14 of last year, police arrived at the Harrison residence. The body camera of one of the officers captured what happened next. Jason's mother Shirley came to the door and declared, ''Oh, he's just off the chain. You can hear him, talking about chopping up people.'' When asked whom she was talking about, Shirley replied, ''My son, bipolar, schizo.'' Seconds later, Jason appeared at the door with a small screwdriver and was told by officers to put it down. Refusing, Jason made a movement toward the officers. Less than five seconds after the initial encounter, Dallas police pumped five lethal bullets into Jason's body. As Jason's blood rolled down the driveway, the officers can be heard nervously trying to figure out what to do next. There seems to be little remorse or grief for what has happened. I guess we can't blame the officers'...as they were just acting out what we know to be true'...the spilt blood of a black man is nothing to get too upset about here in Dallas.
One of the police incident reports reveal that Shirley Harrison exclaimed shortly after the shooting, ''They could have just shot him in the leg.'' Why would they have shot him in the leg? Police view a problematic black man in Dallas as something to be exterminated not helped. Yesterday, the Dallas County District Attorney's office announced that there would be no indictment in the case. For now, the blood of black men will continue to roll down driveways, streets and sidewalks with impunity. However, God is not mocked. The judgment is coming. Those police who continue to spill the blood of black men will be held accountable'...for black blood matters just as much as any other blood to God.
Amen.
*Originally posted at Hope for Peace and Justice
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28 Pages Declassified'--See What Was HiddenBy Brian P. McGlinchey
Thirteen years after they were classified by the George W. Bush administration, 28 pages that are said to detail specific financial links between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the 9/11 hijackers are set to be released as early as Friday, according to CNN and manyother outlets. Here's what to look for both in the 28 pages and in the ensuing debate about their significance.
Less Than Full DeclassificationThe 28 pages are part of the report of a 2002 congressional intelligence inquiry that spans more than 800 pages. There are periodic, specific redactions throughout the rest of the report, so it would not be surprising if the 28 pages had a few surviving redactions of their own. The more numerous, however, the greater the chance that important information is still being concealed from the American people'--and perhaps the greater the chance that concerned members of Congress will take matters into their own hands and release that information on their own.
Bogus Reasons for RedactionsIf officials announce that some remaining redactions were made to protect individuals who were initially under suspicion but later exonerated, journalists and citizens should push back, because that is not a valid justification for secrecy.
Steven AftergoodClassification expert Steven Aftergood, who directs the Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy, told 28Pages.orgearlier this year, ''If you examine the executive order governing the classification system, it does not say that information that is inaccurate or unvetted may be classified. Those words aren't in there,'' said Aftergood.
Driving the point home, Aftergood said, ''The 28 pages could be entirely false, malicious and nonsensical. That is not a basis for classification and that should not be an impediment to their declassification.'' If persons of interest were subsequently ruled out from aiding the hijackers, the government should release the corresponding documents that led to that conclusion.
False Narratives About 9/11 InvestigationsIn the months leading up to the release of the pages, U.S. government officials and the chairs of the 9/11 Commission have been waging a public relations campaign aimed at creating doubt about the reliability of what's in the 28 pages. Expect that effort to resume with renewed intensity as the pages are released.
Bob GrahamDetractors have described the 28 pages as unvetted investigatory leads. However, former Senator Bob Graham, who chaired the inquiry that produced the 28 pages, noted that ''there's been no questions raised about the professionalism and quality of the other 820 pages of that report and this chapter followed the same standards that they did.''
Those questioning the value of the 28 pages also point to the fact that they were written before the 9/11 Commission, and declare that the commission thoroughly investigated all the leads in the 28 pages and, quoting the commission report, ''found no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded'' the hijackers.
In fact, the idea that the 9/11 Commission thoroughly investigated Saudi links to the hijackers has been thoroughly discredited'--though that discrediting has so far failed to permeate major media reporting.
9/11 Commission member John Lehman, in a statement offered in support of 9/11 families suing the kingdom, wrote, ''Evidence relating to the plausible involvement of possible Saudi government agents in the September 11th attacks has never been fully pursued.''
That statement from someone who should know is only the beginning. Indeed, the case against the commission's work regarding the Saudi line of inquiry is so broad and multifaceted that, rather than repeating it here, we urge you to review our April piece, ''9/11 Commission Leaders Circle Wagons Around Their Legacy.''
Ulterior MotivesTom KeanWhat's driving the campaign to denigrate the 28 pages? Where 9/11 Commission chairs Tom Keane and Lee Hamilton are concerned, it's surely about safeguarding their reputations: To the extent the 28 pages cast doubts on the conclusions of the 9/11 Commission'--and raise questions about their personal leadership of that effort'--the most salient chapter of their professional careers stand to be tarnished.
For the U.S. government and its intelligence agencies, reputations again hang in the balance. At a press conference last week, Rep. Stephen Lynch said, ''I think that those individuals (in the intelligence community) don't want this to come out. They don't want the facts to come out because it may reveal terrible, terrible errors on their part and they may bear part of the blame'' for failing to foil the attacks.
In addition, the very foundation of the U.S. government's war on terror may be called into question. Saudi Arabia is routinely praised by government officials and Saudi-funded think tanks as an important partner in fighting extremism; revelations that the kingdom may have aided the 9/11 attacks could in turn expose U.S. hypocrisy'--particularly when juxtaposing the invasion of Iraq alongside continued arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
Seeming to make that very point, Rep. Rick Nolan, who has read the 28 pages, said, ''They confirm that much of the rhetoric preceding the U.S. attack on Iraq was terribly wrong.''
Residual Cover for Saudi Arabia White House press secretary Josh Earnest today seemed to hint that, in addition to protecting intelligence sources and methods, concern for U.S.-Saudi relations will also shape decisions on how much the public is allowed to see.
''We want to make sure that we factor in the diplomatic equities into a decision like that. So when that process is completed, we will obviously coordinate not just with the (Director of National Intelligence) but also with the Congress to make sure those diplomatic equities are properly factored in,'' said Earnest at the White House press briefing.
Household Names9/11 Commission member John Lehman was asked by 60 Minutes if the 28 pages name names. He replied, ''Yes. The average intelligent watcher of 60 Minutes would recognize them instantly.''
Given very few Saudi officials are household names even among educated viewers, you'd expect Lehman to be referring to someone on the level of, say, former Saudi ambassador to the United States Prince Bandar bin Sultan al Saud.
Outside the 28 pages, it's already been revealed that cashiers checks found their way from Bandar's wife to two Saudi citizens in San Diego who furnished heavy financial and other assistance to future 9/11 hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Midhar.
Echoes of Document 17Last summer, the government silently declassified a 9/11 Commission document that listed dozens of people of interest to investigators who were exploring Saudi links to the hijackers. Written by the same authors as the 28 pages and first revealed by 28Pages.org, ''Document 17'' had many interesting revelations'--most notably, the fact that the FBI found the U.S. pilot license of an al Qaeda associate buried in Pakistan, inside an envelope from the Saudi embassy in Washington.
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Elections 2016
The Subtext of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Improper Attacks on Donald Trump
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg during intermission at The Kennedy Center Honors, Dec. 6, 2015 in Washington, D.C.Chris Kleponis/Getty Images
Ruth Bader Ginsburg initiated a potent little throw-down with presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump last week, and both her detractors and defenders have been surprised to observe that she's doubled down in the days since. First she told the Associated Press that she didn't even want to ''think about'' the prospect of a Trump presidency and the New York Times that a Trump presidency was the kind of thing that would have driven her late husband to say they should move to New Zealand.*This week she cheerfully told Joan Biskupic at CNN that Trump is a ''faker'' who makes things up as he goes along. True to form, Trump has now tweeted that that Ginsburg should step down because ''her mind is shot.''
Dahlia Lithwick writes about the courts and the law for Slate, and hosts the podcast Amicus.
With the exception of a handful of RBG fans who take the position that she should say whatever it is she wants because she is generally excellent, few on the left have found much to cheer about in Ginsburg's gloves-off candor. As the editorial pages of the New York Times and the Washington Post have argued, it is unseemly and also perilous for the judicial branch for Ginsburg to'--as the Times put it'--fling herself ''into the mosh pit.'' Even her staunchest defenders on the Hill are more or less baffled. Some have suggested the only thing you need to understand about this story is that Notorious RBG is 83 years old.
There can be no disputing that this conduct was improper under the Code of Conduct for U.S. Judges, which prohibits judges from endorsing or opposing a candidate for office, and under basic conventions that prohibit judges from overt politicking during election season. We can debate how improper it actually was, but it's clear she upset the norms that we generally ask judges to respect. And with all due respect, it's not a legitimate counterargument to claim that it's OK because Ginsburg is on a lot of tote bags and T-shirts sporting a crown.
The serious arguments in favor of Ginsburg's conduct are that (1) the nation faces an unparalleled existential threat, at the nomination of a man who imperils the very rule of law and (2) nobody really believes judges are impartial anyhow, so why shouldn't we celebrate her for ripping off the umpire mask and telling it like it is.
Under the first theory, Ginsburg is correct to expend whatever moral capital she has accrued to say out loud what most politicians are afraid to say, because we are in an extraordinary moment in history, a terrifying period of racism, xenophobia, and violence, and it's incumbent on even traditionally temperate citizens to speak out. According to this view, the failure to condemn Trump would be its own form of cowardice, and Ginsburg only did what a sane person facing a fascist leader should do. Under the second theory, nobody over age 7 really thinks judges have no political preferences, and it's better to have them laid bare than hidden under flimsy claims of oracular impartiality.
Ginsburg was also saying that the stakes for this election could not be higher with respect to the composition of the court itself.
I have a great deal of respect for the first argument, and somewhat less for the second. The American people aren't asking their judges and justices to lie to them about personal politics, so much as asking that there be a place where this type of revelation be tempered for the greater good. But there is a third important reason Ginsburg may have spoken out, and it's getting less attention than it probably deserves: She may be trying to speak on behalf of the judicial branch itself, a branch that has been almost completely silent in the face of six brutal months of attacks from the right.
It started on the day of Justice Antonin Scalia's death, when Republican officials immediately stated that they would not fill his vacant seat for purely partisan reasons. In response to these attacks the court was silent. It continued with an assault on the judicial branch by Sen. Chuck Grassley, who claimed that the Roberts Court is openly partisan. In response to this criticism the court was silent. Then there was the contemptuous Republican dismissal of the Merrick Garland nomination, an unparalleled act of disrespect for the president and the high court, shown by those who wouldn't even offer a respected jurist a hearing. The response from the court? Silence. Then came the fatuous GOP claims that it would not affect the court to be short-staffed for nearly a year. In response the court was silent'--with the exception of Justice Ginsburg, who stated at the end of May that the court could not do its job effectively with only eight members. And then there were Trump's vicious and baseless attacks on a respected federal judge whom Trump claimed was biased against him because he was Mexican (he isn't) and that all Mexicans are biased against Trump because of his stupid wall. Again, the formal response from the entire judicial branch? Silence. Silence in the face of attacks on the judicial branch is what judges do best, and they've made an art form of it this year.
If you look carefully at Ginsburg's statements this past week, she wasn't merely taking potshots at Trump. She was also simply taking Republicans in the Senate to task for refusing to even hold a hearing for Garland, a statement we have yet to hear from anyone of her stature in the judicial branch. This obstruction has been an unparalleled act of disrespect toward her court, and yet nobody on that court aside from her has said so. Ginsburg was also saying that the stakes for this election could not be higher with respect to the composition of the court itself, and that whatever norms and customs preclude judges from acknowledging that out loud cannot be more urgent than the future of the court itself.
In one sense Ginsburg, with her war on Trump, became exactly the kind of politicized judicial actor Grassley had once wrongly accused judges like her of being. In another sense, by speaking up for a judicial branch that has absorbed one body blow after another in recent months, in stoic squint-eyed black-robed fashion, she did nothing but level the playing field. If the court is really going to be fair game in the nihilist rush to break government, she is signaling that the court may just need to pick up arms and fight back.
I'm in no way confident that Ginsburg would have said what she said were it not for the fact that Trump's contempt for her lifelong project of protecting women from people like himself terrifies her. She is right to be terrified. I probably still would have advised her to steer clear, simply because I am old-school when it comes to questions of judicial conduct and appearances. But what Justice Ginsburg is saying in defense of judicial independence writ large may be more important than whatever harm she may have done to the prestige of the court. Even moreso in a political moment where nobody seems to care about a 4-4 court and a growing raft of judicial vacancies in the lower courts. And to date, nobody of her stature or moral authority has said it: It's the very invisibility of the court in the day-to-day life of this country that made it such an easy target for Senate Republicans this year. Notorious RBG has made the court a front-page story again. This is terrible for the court. But the alternative'--more accrued insults and slurs and blows met in silence'--could have been worse.
*Correction, July 13, 2016:This article originially misidentified Ruth Bader Ginsburg's late husband as her ex-husband. (Return.)
Code of Conduct for United States Judges | United States Courts
IntroductionCanon 1: A Judge Should Uphold the Integrity and Independence of the JudiciaryCanon 2: A Judge Should Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety in All ActivitiesCanon 3: A Judge Should Perform the Duties of the Office Fairly, Impartially and DiligentlyCanon 4: A Judge May Engage in Extrajudicial Activities That are Consistent With the Obligations of Judicial OfficeCanon 5: A Judge Should Refrain From Political ActivityCompliance with the Code of ConductApplicable Date of Compliance
Introduction
The Code of Conduct for United States Judges was initially adopted by the Judicial Conference on April 5, 1973, and was known as the "Code of Judicial Conduct for United States Judges." See:JCUS-APR 73, pp. 9-11. Since then, the Judicial Conference has made the following changes to the Code:
March 1987: deleted the word "Judicial" from the name of the Code;September 1992: adopted substantial revisions to the Code;March 1996: revised part C of the Compliance section, immediately following the Code;September 1996: revised Canons 3C(3)(a) and 5C(4);September 1999: revised Canon 3C(1)(c);September 2000: clarified the Compliance section;March 2009: adopted substantial revisions to the Code.March 2014: revised part C of the Compliance section, which appears below, immediately following the Code. This Code applies to United States circuit judges, district judges, Court of International Trade judges, Court of Federal Claims judges, bankruptcy judges, and magistrate judges. Certain provisions of this Code apply to special masters and commissioners as indicated in the ''Compliance'' section. The Tax Court, Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces have adopted this Code.
The Judicial Conference has authorized its Committee on Codes of Conduct to render advisory opinions about this Code only when requested by a judge to whom this Code applies. Requests for opinions and other questions concerning this Code and its applicability should be addressed to the Chair of the Committee on Codes of Conduct by email or as follows:
Chair, Committee on Codes of Conductc/o General CounselAdministrative Office of the United States CourtsThurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary BuildingOne Columbus Circle, N.E.Washington, D.C. 20544202-502-1100
Procedural questions may be addressed to:
Office of the General CounselAdministrative Office of the United States CourtsThurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary BuildingOne Columbus Circle, N.E.Washington, D.C. 20544202-502-1100
Canon 1: A Judge Should Uphold the Integrity and Independence of the Judiciary
An independent and honorable judiciary is indispensable to justice in our society. A judge should maintain and enforce high standards of conduct and should personally observe those standards, so that the integrity and independence of the judiciary may be preserved. The provisions of this Code should be construed and applied to further that objective.
COMMENTARY
Deference to the judgments and rulings of courts depends on public confidence in the integrity and independence of judges. The integrity and independence of judges depend in turn on their acting without fear or favor. Although judges should be independent, they must comply with the law and should comply with this Code. Adherence to this responsibility helps to maintain public confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary. Conversely, violation of this Code diminishes public confidence in the judiciary and injures our system of government under law.
The Canons are rules of reason. They should be applied consistently with constitutional requirements, statutes, other court rules and decisional law, and in the context of all relevant circumstances. The Code is to be construed so it does not impinge on the essential independence of judges in making judicial decisions.
The Code is designed to provide guidance to judges and nominees for judicial office. It may also provide standards of conduct for application in proceedings under the Judicial Councils Reform and Judicial Conduct and Disability Act of 1980 (28 U.S.C. §§ 332(d)(1), 351-364). Not every violation of the Code should lead to disciplinary action. Whether disciplinary action is appropriate, and the degree of discipline, should be determined through a reasonable application of the text and should depend on such factors as the seriousness of the improper activity, the intent of the judge, whether there is a pattern of improper activity, and the effect of the improper activity on others or on the judicial system. Many of the restrictions in the Code are necessarily cast in general terms, and judges may reasonably differ in their interpretation. Furthermore, the Code is not designed or intended as a basis for civil liability or criminal prosecution. Finally, the Code is not intended to be used for tactical advantage.
Canon 2: A Judge Should Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety in all Activities
(A) Respect for Law. A judge should respect and comply with the law and should act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.
(B) Outside Influence. A judge should not allow family, social, political, financial, or other relationships to influence judicial conduct or judgment. A judge should neither lend the prestige of the judicial office to advance the private interests of the judge or others nor convey or permit others to convey the impression that they are in a special position to influence the judge. A judge should not testify voluntarily as a character witness.
(C) Nondiscriminatory Membership. A judge should not hold membership in any organization that practices invidious discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, or national origin.
COMMENTARY
Canon 2A. An appearance of impropriety occurs when reasonable minds, with knowledge of all the relevant circumstances disclosed by a reasonable inquiry, would conclude that the judge's honesty, integrity, impartiality, temperament, or fitness to serve as a judge is impaired. Public confidence in the judiciary is eroded by irresponsible or improper conduct by judges. A judge must avoid all impropriety and appearance of impropriety. This prohibition applies to both professional and personal conduct. A judge must expect to be the subject of constant public scrutiny and accept freely and willingly restrictions that might be viewed as burdensome by the ordinary citizen. Because it is not practicable to list all prohibited acts, the prohibition is necessarily cast in general terms that extend to conduct by judges that is harmful although not specifically mentioned in the Code. Actual improprieties under this standard include violations of law, court rules, or other specific provisions of this Code.
Canon 2B. Testimony as a character witness injects the prestige of the judicial office into the proceeding in which the judge testifies and may be perceived as an official testimonial. A judge should discourage a party from requiring the judge to testify as a character witness except in unusual circumstances when the demands of justice require. This Canon does not create a privilege against testifying in response to an official summons.
A judge should avoid lending the prestige of judicial office to advance the private interests of the judge or others. For example, a judge should not use the judge's judicial position or title to gain advantage in litigation involving a friend or a member of the judge's family. In contracts for publication of a judge's writings, a judge should retain control over the advertising to avoid exploitation of the judge's office.
A judge should be sensitive to possible abuse of the prestige of office. A judge should not initiate communications to a sentencing judge or a probation or corrections officer but may provide information to such persons in response to a formal request. Judges may participate in the process of judicial selection by cooperating with appointing authorities and screening committees seeking names for consideration and by responding to official inquiries concerning a person being considered for a judgeship.
Canon 2C. Membership of a judge in an organization that practices invidious discrimination gives rise to perceptions that the judge's impartiality is impaired. Canon 2C refers to the current practices of the organization. Whether an organization practices invidious discrimination is often a complex question to which judges should be sensitive. The answer cannot be determined from a mere examination of an organization's current membership rolls but rather depends on how the organization selects members and other relevant factors, such as that the organization is dedicated to the preservation of religious, ethnic or cultural values of legitimate common interest to its members, or that it is in fact and effect an intimate, purely private organization whose membership limitations could not be constitutionally prohibited. See New York State Club Ass'n. Inc. v. City of New York, 487 U.S. 1, 108 S. Ct. 2225, 101 L. Ed. 2d 1 (1988); Board of Directors of Rotary International v. Rotary Club of Duarte, 481 U.S. 537, 107 S. Ct. 1940, 95 L. Ed. 2d 474 (1987); Roberts v. United States Jaycees, 468 U.S. 609, 104 S. Ct. 3244, 82 L. Ed. 2d 462 (1984). Other relevant factors include the size and nature of the organization and the diversity of persons in the locale who might reasonably be considered potential members. Thus the mere absence of diverse membership does not by itself demonstrate a violation unless reasonable persons with knowledge of all the relevant circumstances would expect that the membership would be diverse in the absence of invidious discrimination. Absent such factors, an organization is generally said to discriminate invidiously if it arbitrarily excludes from membership on the basis of race, religion, sex, or national origin persons who would otherwise be admitted to membership.
Although Canon 2C relates only to membership in organizations that invidiously discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion or national origin, a judge's membership in an organization that engages in any invidiously discriminatory membership practices prohibited by applicable law violates Canons 2 and 2A and gives the appearance of impropriety. In addition, it would be a violation of Canons 2 and 2A for a judge to arrange a meeting at a club that the judge knows practices invidious discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, or national origin in its membership or other policies, or for the judge to use such a club regularly. Moreover, public manifestation by a judge of the judge's knowing approval of invidious discrimination on any basis gives the appearance of impropriety under Canon 2 and diminishes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary, in violation of Canon 2A.
When a judge determines that an organization to which the judge belongs engages in invidious discrimination that would preclude membership under Canon 2C or under Canons 2 and 2A, the judge is permitted, in lieu of resigning, to make immediate and continuous efforts to have the organization discontinue its invidiously discriminatory practices. If the organization fails to discontinue its invidiously discriminatory practices as promptly as possible (and in all events within two years of the judge's first learning of the practices), the judge should resign immediately from the organization.
Canon 3: A Judge Should Perform the Duties of the Office Fairly, Impartially and Diligently
The duties of judicial office take precedence over all other activities. In performing the duties prescribed by law, the judge should adhere to the following standards:
(A) Adjudicative Responsibilities.
(1) A judge should be faithful to, and maintain professional competence in, the law and should not be swayed by partisan interests, public clamor, or fear of criticism.
(2) A judge should hear and decide matters assigned, unless disqualified, and should maintain order and decorum in all judicial proceedings.
(3) A judge should be patient, dignified, respectful, and courteous to litigants, jurors, witnesses, lawyers, and others with whom the judge deals in an official capacity. A judge should require similar conduct of those subject to the judge's control, including lawyers to the extent consistent with their role in the adversary process.
(4) A judge should accord to every person who has a legal interest in a proceeding, and that person's lawyer, the full right to be heard according to law. Except as set out below, a judge should not initiate, permit, or consider ex parte communications or consider other communications concerning a pending or impending matter that are made outside the presence of the parties or their lawyers. If a judge receives an unauthorized ex parte communication bearing on the substance of a matter, the judge should promptly notify the parties of the subject matter of the communication and allow the parties an opportunity to respond, if requested. A judge may:
(a) initiate, permit, or consider ex parte communications as authorized by law;
(b) when circumstances require it, permit ex parte communication for scheduling, administrative, or emergency purposes, but only if the ex parte communication does not address substantive matters and the judge reasonably believes that no party will gain a procedural, substantive, or tactical advantage as a result of the ex parte communication;
(c) obtain the written advice of a disinterested expert on the law, but only after giving advance notice to the parties of the person to be consulted and the subject matter of the advice and affording the parties reasonable opportunity to object and respond to the notice and to the advice received; or
(d) with the consent of the parties, confer separately with the parties and their counsel in an effort to mediate or settle pending matters.
(5) A judge should dispose promptly of the business of the court.
(6) A judge should not make public comment on the merits of a matter pending or impending in any court. A judge should require similar restraint by court personnel subject to the judge's direction and control. The prohibition on public comment on the merits does not extend to public statements made in the course of the judge's official duties, to explanations of court procedures, or to scholarly presentations made for purposes of legal education.
(B) Administrative Responsibilities.
(1) A judge should diligently discharge administrative responsibilities, maintain professional competence in judicial administration, and facilitate the performance of the administrative responsibilities of other judges and court personnel.
(2) A judge should not direct court personnel to engage in conduct on the judge's behalf or as the judge's representative when that conduct would contravene the Code if undertaken by the judge.
(3) A judge should exercise the power of appointment fairly and only on the basis of merit, avoiding unnecessary appointments, nepotism, and favoritism. A judge should not approve compensation of appointees beyond the fair value of services rendered.
(4) A judge with supervisory authority over other judges should take reasonable measures to ensure that they perform their duties timely and effectively.
(5) A judge should take appropriate action upon learning of reliable evidence indicating the likelihood that a judge's conduct contravened this Code or a lawyer violated applicable rules of professional conduct.
(C) Disqualification.
(1) A judge shall disqualify himself or herself in a proceeding in which the judge's impartiality might reasonably be questioned, including but not limited to instances in which:
(a) the judge has a personal bias or prejudice concerning a party, or personal knowledge of disputed evidentiary facts concerning the proceeding;
(b) the judge served as a lawyer in the matter in controversy, or a lawyer with whom the judge previously practiced law served during such association as a lawyer concerning the matter, or the judge or lawyer has been a material witness;
(c) the judge knows that the judge, individually or as a fiduciary, or the judge's spouse or minor child residing in the judge's household, has a financial interest in the subject matter in controversy or in a party to the proceeding, or any other interest that could be affected substantially by the outcome of the proceeding;
(d) the judge or the judge's spouse, or a person related to either within the third degree of relationship, or the spouse of such a person is:
(i) a party to the proceeding, or an officer, director, or trustee of a party;
(ii) acting as a lawyer in the proceeding;
(iii) known by the judge to have an interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding; or
(iv) to the judge's knowledge likely to be a material witness in the proceeding; (e)the judge has served in governmental employment and in that capacity participated as a judge (in a previous judicial position), counsel, advisor, or material witness concerning the proceeding or has expressed an opinion concerning the merits of the particular case in controversy.
(2) A judge should keep informed about the judge's personal and fiduciary financial interests and make a reasonable effort to keep informed about the personal financial interests of the judge's spouse and minor children residing in the judge's household.
(3) For the purposes of this section:
(a) the degree of relationship is calculated according to the civil law system; the following relatives are within the third degree of relationship: parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, great grandparent, great grandchild, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, niece, and nephew; the listed relatives include whole and half blood relatives and most step relatives;
(b) ''fiduciary'' includes such relationships as executor, administrator, trustee, and guardian;
(c) ''financial interest'' means ownership of a legal or equitable interest, however small, or a relationship as director, advisor, or other active participant in the affairs of a party, except that:
(i) ownership in a mutual or common investment fund that holds securities is not a ''financial interest'' in such securities unless the judge participates in the management of the fund;
(ii) an office in an educational, religious, charitable, fraternal, or civic organization is not a ''financial interest'' in securities held by the organization;
(iii) the proprietary interest of a policyholder in a mutual insurance company, or a depositor in a mutual savings association, or a similar proprietary interest, is a ''financial interest'' in the organization only if the outcome of the proceeding could substantially affect the value of the interest;
(iv) ownership of government securities is a ''financial interest'' in the issuer only if the outcome of the proceeding could substantially affect the value of the securities;
(d) ''proceeding'' includes pretrial, trial, appellate review, or other stages of litigation.
(4) Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Canon, if a judge would be disqualified because of a financial interest in a party (other than an interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome), disqualification is not required if the judge (or the judge's spouse or minor child) divests the interest that provides the grounds for disqualification.
(D) Remittal of Disqualification. Instead of withdrawing from the proceeding, a judge disqualified by Canon 3C(1) may, except in the circumstances specifically set out in subsections (a) through (e), disclose on the record the basis of disqualification. The judge may participate in the proceeding if, after that disclosure, the parties and their lawyers have an opportunity to confer outside the presence of the judge, all agree in writing or on the record that the judge should not be disqualified, and the judge is then willing to participate. The agreement should be incorporated in the record of the proceeding.
COMMENTARY
Canon 3A(3). The duty to hear all proceedings fairly and with patience is not inconsistent with the duty to dispose promptly of the business of the court. Courts can be efficient and businesslike while being patient and deliberate.
The duty under Canon 2 to act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary applies to all the judge's activities, including the discharge of the judge's adjudicative and administrative responsibilities. The duty to be respectful includes the responsibility to avoid comment or behavior that could reasonably be interpreted as harassment, prejudice or bias.
Canon 3A(4). The restriction on ex parte communications concerning a proceeding includes communications from lawyers, law teachers, and others who are not participants in the proceeding. A judge may consult with other judges or with court personnel whose function is to aid the judge in carrying out adjudicative responsibilities. A judge should make reasonable efforts to ensure that law clerks and other court personnel comply with this provision.
A judge may encourage and seek to facilitate settlement but should not act in a manner that coerces any party into surrendering the right to have the controversy resolved by the courts.
Canon 3A(5). In disposing of matters promptly, efficiently, and fairly, a judge must demonstrate due regard for the rights of the parties to be heard and to have issues resolved without unnecessary cost or delay. A judge should monitor and supervise cases to reduce or eliminate dilatory practices, avoidable delays, and unnecessary costs.
Prompt disposition of the court's business requires a judge to devote adequate time to judicial duties, to be punctual in attending court and expeditious in determining matters under submission, and to take reasonable measures to ensure that court personnel, litigants, and their lawyers cooperate with the judge to that end.
Canon 3A(6). The admonition against public comment about the merits of a pending or impending matter continues until the appellate process is complete. If the public comment involves a case from the judge's own court, the judge should take particular care so that the comment does not denigrate public confidence in the judiciary's integrity and impartiality, which would violate Canon 2A. A judge may comment publicly on proceedings in which the judge is a litigant in a personal capacity, but not on mandamus proceedings when the judge is a litigant in an official capacity (but the judge may respond in accordance with Fed. R. App. P. 21(b)).
Canon 3B(3). A judge's appointees include assigned counsel, officials such as referees, commissioners, special masters, receivers, guardians, and personnel such as law clerks, secretaries, and judicial assistants. Consent by the parties to an appointment or an award of compensation does not relieve the judge of the obligation prescribed by this subsection.
Canon 3B(5). Appropriate action may include direct communication with the judge or lawyer, other direct action if available, reporting the conduct to the appropriate authorities, or, when the judge believes that a judge's or lawyer's conduct is caused by drugs, alcohol, or a medical condition, making a confidential referral to an assistance program. Appropriate action may also include responding to a subpoena to testify or otherwise participating in judicial or lawyer disciplinary proceedings; a judge should be candid and honest with disciplinary authorities.
Canon 3C. Recusal considerations applicable to a judge's spouse should also be considered with respect to a person other than a spouse with whom the judge maintains both a household and an intimate relationship.
Canon 3C(1)(c). In a criminal proceeding, a victim entitled to restitution is not, within the meaning of this Canon, a party to the proceeding or the subject matter in controversy. A judge who has a financial interest in the victim of a crime is not required by Canon 3C(1)(c) to disqualify from the criminal proceeding, but the judge must do so if the judge's impartiality might reasonably be questioned under Canon 3C(1) or if the judge has an interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding under Canon 3C(1)(d)(iii).
Canon 3C(1)(d)(ii). The fact that a lawyer in a proceeding is affiliated with a law firm with which a relative of the judge is affiliated does not of itself disqualify the judge. However, if ''the judge's impartiality might reasonably be questioned'' under Canon 3C(1), or the relative is known by the judge to have an interest in the law firm that could be ''substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding'' under Canon 3C(1)(d)(iii), the judge's disqualification is required.
Canon 4: A Judge May Engage in Extrajudicial Activities that are Consistent with the Obligations of Judicial Office
A judge may engage in extrajudicial activities, including law-related pursuits and civic, charitable, educational, religious, social, financial, fiduciary, and governmental activities, and may speak, write, lecture, and teach on both law-related and nonlegal subjects. However, a judge should not participate in extrajudicial activities that detract from the dignity of the judge's office, interfere with the performance of the judge's official duties, reflect adversely on the judge's impartiality, lead to frequent disqualification, or violate the limitations set forth below.
(A) Law-related Activities.
(1) Speaking, Writing, and Teaching. A judge may speak, write, lecture, teach, and participate in other activities concerning the law, the legal system, and the administration of justice
(2) Consultation. A judge may consult with or appear at a public hearing before an executive or legislative body or official:
(a)on matters concerning the law, the legal system, or the administration of justice;
(b)to the extent that it would generally be perceived that a judge's judicial experience provides special expertise in the area; or
(c)when the judge is acting pro se in a matter involving the judge or the judge's interest.
(3) Organizations. A judge may participate in and serve as a member, officer, director, trustee, or nonlegal advisor of a nonprofit organization devoted to the law, the legal system, or the administration of justice and may assist such an organization in the management and investment of funds. A judge may make recommendations to public and private fund-granting agencies about projects and programs concerning the law, the legal system, and the administration of justice.
(4) Arbitration and Mediation. A judge should not act as an arbitrator or mediator or otherwise perform judicial functions apart from the judge's official duties unless expressly authorized by law.
(5) Practice of Law. A judge should not practice law and should not serve as a family member's lawyer in any forum. A judge may, however, act pro se and may, without compensation, give legal advice to and draft or review documents for a member of the judge's family.
(B) Civic and Charitable Activities. A judge may participate in and serve as an officer, director, trustee, or nonlegal advisor of a nonprofit civic, charitable, educational, religious, or social organization, subject to the following limitations:
(1) A judge should not serve if it is likely that the organization will either be engaged in proceedings that would ordinarily come before the judge or be regularly engaged in adversary proceedings in any court.
(2) A judge should not give investment advice to such an organization but may serve on its board of directors or trustees even though it has the responsibility for approving investment decisions.
(C) Fund Raising. A judge may assist nonprofit law-related, civic, charitable, educational, religious, or social organizations in planning fund-raising activities and may be listed as an officer, director, or trustee. A judge may solicit funds for such an organization from judges over whom the judge does not exercise supervisory or appellate authority and from members of the judge's family. Otherwise, a judge should not personally participate in fund-raising activities, solicit funds for any organization, or use or permit the use of the prestige of judicial office for that purpose. A judge should not personally participate in membership solicitation if the solicitation might reasonably be perceived as coercive or is essentially a fund-raising mechanism.
(D) Financial Activities.
(1) A judge may hold and manage investments, including real estate, and engage in other remunerative activity, but should refrain from financial and business dealings that exploit the judicial position or involve the judge in frequent transactions or continuing business relationships with lawyers or other persons likely to come before the court on which the judge serves.
(2) A judge may serve as an officer, director, active partner, manager, advisor, or employee of a business only if the business is closely held and controlled by members of the judge's family. For this purpose, ''members of the judge's family'' means persons related to the judge or the judge's spouse within the third degree of relationship as defined in Canon 3C(3)(a), any other relative with whom the judge or the judge's spouse maintains a close familial relationship, and the spouse of any of the foregoing.
(3) As soon as the judge can do so without serious financial detriment, the judge should divest investments and other financial interests that might require frequent disqualification.
(4) A judge should comply with the restrictions on acceptance of gifts and the prohibition on solicitation of gifts set forth in the Judicial Conference Gift Regulations. A judge should endeavor to prevent any member of the judge's family residing in the household from soliciting or accepting a gift except to the extent that a judge would be permitted to do so by the Judicial Conference Gift Regulations. A ''member of the judge's family'' means any relative of a judge by blood, adoption, or marriage, or any person treated by a judge as a member of the judge's family.
(5) A judge should not disclose or use nonpublic information acquired in a judicial capacity for any purpose unrelated to the judge's official duties.
(E) Fiduciary Activities. A judge may serve as the executor, administrator, trustee, guardian, or other fiduciary only for the estate, trust, or person of a member of the judge's family as defined in Canon 4D(4). As a family fiduciary a judge is subject to the following restrictions:
(1) The judge should not serve if it is likely that as a fiduciary the judge would be engaged in proceedings that would ordinarily come before the judge or if the estate, trust, or ward becomes involved in adversary proceedings in the court on which the judge serves or one under its appellate jurisdiction.(2) While acting as a fiduciary, a judge is subject to the same restrictions on financial activities that apply to the judge in a personal capacity.
(F) Governmental Appointments. A judge may accept appointment to a governmental committee, commission, or other position only if it is one that concerns the law, the legal system, or the administration of justice, or if appointment of a judge is required by federal statute. A judge should not, in any event, accept such an appointment if the judge's governmental duties would tend to undermine the public confidence in the integrity, impartiality, or independence of the judiciary. A judge may represent the judge's country, state, or locality on ceremonial occasions or in connection with historical, educational, and cultural activities.
(G) Chambers, Resources, and Staff. A judge should not to any substantial degree use judicial chambers, resources, or staff to engage in extrajudicial activities permitted by this Canon.
(H) Compensation, Reimbursement, and Financial Reporting. A judge may accept compensation and reimbursement of expenses for the law-related and extrajudicial activities permitted by this Code if the source of the payments does not give the appearance of influencing the judge in the judge's judicial duties or otherwise give the appearance of impropriety, subject to the following restrictions:
(1) Compensation should not exceed a reasonable amount nor should it exceed what a person who is not a judge would receive for the same activity.
(2) Expense reimbursement should be limited to the actual costs of travel, food, and lodging reasonably incurred by the judge and, where appropriate to the occasion, by the judge's spouse or relative. Any additional payment is compensation.
(3) A judge should make required financial disclosures, including disclosures of gifts and other things of value, in compliance with applicable statutes and Judicial Conference regulations and directives.
COMMENTARY
Canon 4. Complete separation of a judge from extrajudicial activities is neither possible nor wise; a judge should not become isolated from the society in which the judge lives. As a judicial officer and a person specially learned in the law, a judge is in a unique position to contribute to the law, the legal system, and the administration of justice, including revising substantive and procedural law and improving criminal and juvenile justice. To the extent that the judge's time permits and impartiality is not compromised, the judge is encouraged to do so, either independently or through a bar association, judicial conference, or other organization dedicated to the law. Subject to the same limitations, judges may also engage in a wide range of non-law-related activities.
Within the boundaries of applicable law (see, e.g., 18 U.S.C. § 953) a judge may express opposition to the persecution of lawyers and judges anywhere in the world if the judge has ascertained, after reasonable inquiry, that the persecution is occasioned by conflict between the professional responsibilities of the persecuted judge or lawyer and the policies or practices of the relevant government.
A person other than a spouse with whom the judge maintains both a household and an intimate relationship should be considered a member of the judge's family for purposes of legal assistance under Canon 4A(5), fund raising under Canon 4C, and family business activities under Canon 4D(2).
Canon 4A. Teaching and serving on the board of a law school are permissible, but in the case of a for-profit law school, board service is limited to a nongoverning advisory board.
Consistent with this Canon, a judge may encourage lawyers to provide pro bono legal services.
Canon 4A(4). This Canon generally prohibits a judge from mediating a state court matter, except in unusual circumstances (e.g., when a judge is mediating a federal matter that cannot be resolved effectively without addressing the related state court matter).
Canon 4A(5). A judge may act pro se in all legal matters, including matters involving litigation and matters involving appearances before or other dealings with governmental bodies. In so doing, a judge must not abuse the prestige of office to advance the interests of the judge or the judge's family.
Canon 4B. The changing nature of some organizations and their exposure to litigation make it necessary for a judge regularly to reexamine the activities of each organization with which the judge is affiliated to determine if the judge's continued association is appropriate. For example, in many jurisdictions, charitable hospitals are in court more often now than in the past.
Canon 4C. A judge may attend fund-raising events of law-related and other organizations although the judge may not be a speaker, a guest of honor, or featured on the program of such an event. Use of a judge's name, position in the organization, and judicial designation on an organization's letterhead, including when used for fund raising or soliciting members, does not violate Canon 4C if comparable information and designations are listed for others.
Canon 4D(1), (2), and (3). Canon 3 requires disqualification of a judge in any proceeding in which the judge has a financial interest, however small. Canon 4D requires a judge to refrain from engaging in business and from financial activities that might interfere with the impartial performance of the judge's judicial duties. Canon 4H requires a judge to report compensation received for activities outside the judicial office. A judge has the rights of an ordinary citizen with respect to financial affairs, except for limitations required to safeguard the proper performance of the judge's duties. A judge's participation in a closely held family business, while generally permissible, may be prohibited if it takes too much time or involves misuse of judicial prestige or if the business is likely to come before the court on which the judge serves. Owning and receiving income from investments do not as such affect the performance of a judge's duties.
Canon 4D(5). The restriction on using nonpublic information is not intended to affect a judge's ability to act on information as necessary to protect the health or safety of the judge or a member of a judge's family, court personnel, or other judicial officers if consistent with other provisions of this Code.
Canon 4E. Mere residence in the judge's household does not by itself make a person a member of the judge's family for purposes of this Canon. The person must be treated by the judge as a member of the judge's family.
The Applicable Date of Compliance provision of this Code addresses continued service as a fiduciary.
A judge's obligation under this Code and the judge's obligation as a fiduciary may come into conflict. For example, a judge should resign as a trustee if it would result in detriment to the trust to divest holdings whose retention would require frequent disqualification of the judge in violation of Canon 4D(3).
Canon 4F. The appropriateness of accepting extrajudicial assignments must be assessed in light of the demands on judicial resources and the need to protect the courts from involvement in matters that may prove to be controversial. Judges should not accept governmental appointments that could interfere with the effectiveness and independence of the judiciary, interfere with the performance of the judge's judicial responsibilities, or tend to undermine public confidence in the judiciary.
Canon 4H. A judge is not required by this Code to disclose income, debts, or investments, except as provided in this Canon. The Ethics Reform Act of 1989 and implementing regulations promulgated by the Judicial Conference impose additional restrictions on judges' receipt of compensation. That Act and those regulations should be consulted before a judge enters into any arrangement involving the receipt of compensation. The restrictions so imposed include but are not limited to: (1) a prohibition against receiving ''honoraria'' (defined as anything of value received for a speech, appearance, or article), (2) a prohibition against receiving compensation for service as a director, trustee, or officer of a profit or nonprofit organization, (3) a requirement that compensated teaching activities receive prior approval, and (4) a limitation on the receipt of ''outside earned income.''
Canon 5: A Judge Should Refrain from Political Activity
(A) General Prohibitions. A judge should not:
(1) act as a leader or hold any office in a political organization;
(2) make speeches for a political organization or candidate, or publicly endorse or oppose a candidate for public office; or
(3) solicit funds for, pay an assessment to, or make a contribution to a political organization or candidate, or attend or purchase a ticket for a dinner or other event sponsored by a political organization or candidate.
(B) Resignation upon Candidacy. A judge should resign the judicial office if the judge becomes a candidate in a primary or general election for any office.
(C) Other Political Activity. A judge should not engage in any other political activity. This provision does not prevent a judge from engaging in activities described in Canon 4.
COMMENTARY
The term ''political organization'' refers to a political party, a group affiliated with a political party or candidate for public office, or an entity whose principal purpose is to advocate for or against political candidates or parties in connection with elections for public office.
Compliance with the Code of Conduct
Anyone who is an officer of the federal judicial system authorized to perform judicial functions is a judge for the purpose of this Code. All judges should comply with this Code except as provided below.
(A) Part-time Judge
A part-time judge is a judge who serves part-time, whether continuously or periodically, but is permitted by law to devote time to some other profession or occupation and whose compensation for that reason is less than that of a full-time judge. A part-time judge:
(1) is not required to comply with Canons 4A(4), 4A(5), 4D(2), 4E, 4F, or 4H(3);(2) except as provided in the Conflict-of-Interest Rules for Part-time Magistrate Judges, should not practice law in the court on which the judge serves or in any court subject to that court's appellate jurisdiction, or act as a lawyer in a proceeding in which the judge has served as a judge or in any related proceeding.
(B) Judge Pro Tempore
A judge pro tempore is a person who is appointed to act temporarily as a judge or as a special master.
(1) While acting in this capacity, a judge pro tempore is not required to comply with Canons 4A(4), 4A(5), 4D(2), 4D(3), 4E, 4F, or 4H(3); further, one who acts solely as a special master is not required to comply with Canons 4A(3), 4B, 4C, 4D(4), or 5.(2) A person who has been a judge pro tempore should not act as a lawyer in a proceeding in which the judge has served as a judge or in any related proceeding.
(C) Retired Judge
A judge who is retired under 28 U.S.C. § 371(b) or § 372(a) (applicable to Article III judges), or who is subject to recall under § 178(d) (applicable to judges on the Court of Federal Claims), or who is recalled to judicial service, should comply with all the provisions of this Code except Canon 4F, but the judge should refrain from judicial service during the period of extrajudicial appointment not sanctioned by Canon 4F. All other retired judges who are eligible for recall to judicial service (except those in U.S. territories and possessions) should comply with the provisions of this Code governing part-time judges. However, bankruptcy judges and magistrate judges who are eligible for recall but who have notified the Administrative Office of the United States Courts that they will not consent to recall are not obligated to comply with the provisions of this Code governing part-time judges. Such notification may be made at any time after retirement, and is irrevocable. A senior judge in the territories and possessions must comply with this Code as prescribed by 28 U.S.C. § 373(c)(5) and (d).
COMMENTARY
The 2014 amendment to the Compliance section, regarding retired bankruptcy judges and magistrate judges and exempting those judges from compliance with the Code as part-time judges if they notify the Administrative Office of the United States Courts that they will not consent to recall, was not intended to alter those judges' statutory entitlements to annuities, cost-of-living adjustments, or any other retirement benefits.
Applicable Date of Compliance
Persons to whom this Code applies should arrange their financial and fiduciary affairs as soon as reasonably possible to comply with it and should do so in any event within one year after appointment. If, however, the demands on the person's time and the possibility of conflicts of interest are not substantial, such a person may continue to act, without compensation, as an executor, administrator, trustee, or other fiduciary for the estate or person of one who is not a member of the person's family if terminating the relationship would unnecessarily jeopardize any substantial interest of the estate or person and if the judicial council of the circuit approves.
Last revised (Transmittal 02-016) March 20, 2014
An Open Letter From Technology Sector Leaders On Donald Trump's Candidacy For President
We are inventors, entrepreneurs, engineers, investors, researchers, and business leaders working in the technology sector. We are proud that American innovation is the envy of the world, a source of widely-shared prosperity, and a hallmark of our global leadership.
We believe in an inclusive country that fosters opportunity, creativity and a level playing field. Donald Trump does not. He campaigns on anger, bigotry, fear of new ideas and new people, and a fundamental belief that America is weak and in decline. We have listened to Donald Trump over the past year and we have concluded: Trump would be a disaster for innovation. His vision stands against the open exchange of ideas, free movement of people, and productive engagement with the outside world that is critical to our economy'--and that provide the foundation for innovation and growth.
Let's start with the human talent that drives innovation forward. We believe that America's diversity is our strength. Great ideas come from all parts of society, and we should champion that broad-based creative potential. We also believe that progressive immigration policies help us attract and retain some of the brightest minds on earth'--scientists, entrepreneurs, and creators. In fact, 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children. Donald Trump, meanwhile, traffics in ethnic and racial stereotypes, repeatedly insults women, and is openly hostile to immigration. He has promised a wall, mass deportations, and profiling.
We also believe in the free and open exchange of ideas, including over the Internet, as a seed from which innovation springs. Donald Trump proposes ''shutting down'' parts of the Internet as a security strategy ' demonstrating both poor judgment and ignorance about how technology works. His penchant to censor extends to revoking press credentials and threatening to punish media platforms that criticize him.
Finally, we believe that government plays an important role in the technology economy by investing in infrastructure, education and scientific research. Donald Trump articulates few policies beyond erratic and contradictory pronouncements. His reckless disregard for our legal and political institutions threatens to upend what attracts companies to start and scale in America. He risks distorting markets, reducing exports, and slowing job creation.
We stand against Donald Trump's divisive candidacy and want a candidate who embraces the ideals that built America's technology industry: freedom of expression, openness to newcomers, equality of opportunity, public investments in research and infrastructure, and respect for the rule of law. We embrace an optimistic vision for a more inclusive country, where American innovation continues to fuel opportunity, prosperity and leadership.
*DISCLAIMER: The individuals listed below have endorsed in their personal capacity and this does not reflect the endorsement of any organization, corporation or entity to which they are affiliated. Titles and affiliations of each individual are provided for identification purposes only.
Marvin Ammori, General Counsel, Hyperloop OneAdrian Aoun, Founder/CEO, ForwardGreg Badros, Founder, Prepared Mind Innovations; Former Engineering VP, FacebookClayton Banks, Co-Founder, Silicon HarlemPhin Barnes, Partner, First Round CapitalNiti Bashambu, Chief Analytics Officer, IAC ApplicationsJohn Battelle, Founder/CEO, NewCo, Inc.Ayah Bdeir, Founder/CEO, Little BitsPiraye Beim, Founder/CEO, CelmatixMarc Bodnick, Co-Founder, Elevation PartnersJohn Borthwick, Founder/CEO, BetaworksMatt Brezina, Co-Founder, Sincerely and XobniStacy Brown-Philpot, CEO, TaskRabbitBrad Burnham, Managing Partner, Union Square VenturesStewart Butterfield, Co-Founder/CEO, SlackTroy Carter, Founder/CEO, Atom FactorySukhinder Singh Cassidy, Founder/CEO, JoyusVint Cerf, Internet PioneerAmy Chang, Founder/CEO, AccompanyAneesh Chopra, President, NavHealth; Former US CTOPatrick Chung, General Partner, XfundTod Cohen, General Counsel, StubHubStephen DeBerry, Founder/Managing Partner, Bronze InvestmentsPeter Diamandis, Entrepreneur; Author,AbundanceandBOLDBarry Diller, Chairman, Expedia and IACEsther Dyson, Executive Founder, Way to Wellville; InvestorAmy Errett, Founder/CEO, Madison ReedCaterina Fake, Founder/CEO, Findery; Co-Founder, FlickrChristopher Farmer, Founder/CEO, SignalFireBrad Feld, Managing Director, Foundry Group; Co-Founder, TechstarsJosh Felser, Co-Founder, Freestyle Capital & ClimateXHajj Flemings, Founder/CEO, Brand Camp UniversityNatalie Foster, Co-Founder, PeersDavid Grain, Founder/Managing Partner, Grain Management, LLCBrad Hargreaves, Founder/CEO, CommonDonna Harris, Co-Founder/Co-CEO, 1776Scott Heiferman, Co-Founder/CEO, MeetupDavid Hornik, General Partner, August CapitalTerry Howerton, CEO, TechNexusReed Hundt, Former Chair, FCCMinnie Ingersoll, COO, Shift TechnologiesSami Inkinen, Founder/CEO, Virta Health; Co-Founder, TruliaCraig Isakow, Head of Revenue, Shift TechnologiesRev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., President and Founder, Rainbow PUSH CoalitionIrwin Jacobs, Founding Chairman/CEO Emeritus, Qualcomm IncPaul Jacobs, Executive Chairman, Qualcomm IncLeila Janah, Founder/CEO, Sama & LaxmiSujay Jaswa, Former CFO, Dropbox; Founder, Witt Capital PartnersMark Josephson, CEO, BitlySep Kamvar, Professor, MITDavid Karp, Founder/CEO, TumblrJed Katz, Managing Director, Javelin Venture PartnersKim Keenan, President/CEO, Multicultural Media, Telecom & Internet CouncilBen Keighran, Entrepreneur; Former Design Lead, AppleWilliam Kennard, Former Chair, FCCVinod Khosla, Founder, Khosla Ventures; Co-Founder, SUN MicrosystemsRon Klain, Executive Vice President, Revolution LLCWalter Kortschak, Former Managing Partner and Senior Advisor, Summit PartnersJared Kopf, Founder AdRoll, HomeRun, WorldlyJoseph Kopser, Co-Founder, RidescoutKaren Kornbluh, Former US Ambassador, OECDOthman Laraki, Co-Founder/President, Color GenomicsMiles Lasater, Serial EntrepreneurJeff Lawson, CEO, TwilioAileen Lee, Founder/Managing Partner, Cowboy VenturesBobby Lent, Managing Partner, Hillsven CapitalAaron Levie, Co-Founder/CEO, BoxJohn Lilly, Partner, Greylock PartnersBruce Lincoln, Co-Founder, Silicon HarlemRuth Livier, President, Livier Productions, Inc.Mark Lloyd, Professor of Communication, University of Southern California - Annenberg SchoolLuther Lowe, VP of Public Policy, YelpNancy Lublin, Founder/CEO, Crisis Text LineKanyi Maqubela, Partner, Collaborative FundJonathan Matus, Founder/CEO, ZendriveJosh McFarland, Vice President of Product, TwitterAndrew McLaughlin, Head of New Business, Medium; Venture Partner, betaworksShishir Mehrotra, Entrepreneur & former VP of Product & Engineering, YouTubeApoorva Mehta, Founder/CEO, InstacartDoug Merritt, CEO, SplunkDinesh Moorjani, Founder/CEO, Hatch Labs; Co-Founder, TinderBrit Morin, Founder/CEO, Brit + CoDave Morin, Entrepreneur; Partner, Slow VenturesDustin Moskovitz, Co-Founder, Asana; Co-Founder, FacebookAmanda Moskowitz, Founder/CEO, StacklistAlex Nogales, President/CEO, National Hispanic Media CoalitionAlexis Ohanian, Co-Founder, RedditMike Olson, Founder/Chairman/CSO, ClouderaPierre Omidyar, Founder, eBayFelix W. Ortiz III, Founder/Chairman/CEO, Viridis; Board Member of The NYC Technology Development CorporationJen Pahlka, Founder/Executive Director, Code for AmericaBarney Pell, Founder Powerset, MoonExpress, Locomobi; Founding Trustee, Singularity UniversityMark Pincus, Executive Chairman and Founder, ZyngaShervin Pishevar, Co-Founder/Managing Director, Sherpa Capital and Co-Founder/Executive Chairman of Hyperloop OneBrandon Pollack, Director of Global Affairs, 1776Amy Rao, Founder/CEO, Integrated Archive Systems, Inc.Eric Ries, Entrepreneur & Author,The Lean StartupJustin Rosenstein, Co-Founder, AsanaAlec Ross, Author,The Industries of the FutureJavier Saade, Venture Capitalist; Former Associate Administrator, SBAChris Sacca, Founder/Chairman, Lowercase CapitalDave Samuel, Co-Founder, Freestyle CapitalJulie Samuels, Executive Director, Tech:NYCReshma Saujani, Founder, Girls Who CodeChris Schroeder, Venture Investor; Author,Startup RisingJake Schwartz, Co-Founder/CEO, General AssemblyRobert Scoble, Entrepreneur in Residence and Futurist, Upload VRKim Malone Scott, CEO, Candor, Inc; Former Director, GoogleTina Sharkey, Partner, Sherpa Foundry & Sherpa CapitalClara Shih, Co-Founder/CEO, Hearsay SocialShivani Siroya, Founder/CEO, InVentureSteve Smith, Executive Director, Public Policy Institute, Government Relations & Telecommunications Project, Rainbow PUSH CoalitionJonathan Spalter, Chair, Mobile FutureDeShuna Spencer, CEO, kweliTVKatie Stanton, CMO, Color Genomics; Former VP of Global Media, TwitterJenny Stefanotti, Co-Founder, OneProject; Board of Directors, UshahidiDebby Sterling, Founder/CEO, GoldibloxSeth Sternberg, Co-Founder/CEO, HonorMargaret Stewart, Vice President of Product Design, FacebookJeremy Stoppelman, CEO, YelpMichael Stoppelman, SVP, Engineering, YelpBaratunde Thurston, Former supervising producer, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah; Co-Founder, Cultivated WitStephanie Tilenius, Founder/CEO, Vida Health; Board of Directors, Seagate TechnologyRichard D. Titus, Entrepreneur; SVP, SamsungAnne Toth, VP of Policy & Compliance, SlackBill Trenchard, Partner, First Round CapitalApril Underwood, VP of Product, SlackMax Ventilla, Founder/CEO, AltSchoolTabreez Verjee, Co-Founder/Partner Uprising; Board Director Kiva.orgJimmy Wales, Founder of WikipediaHunter Walk, Partner, Homebrew VC; Former Director of Product Management, GoogleTristan Walker, Founder/CEO, Walker & Company Brands, Inc.; Founder/Chairman, Code 2040Ari Wallach, CEO, Synthesis Corp.Padmasree Warrior, CEO, NextEV USA; Former CTSO, CiscoLaura Weidman Powers, Co-Founder/CEO, Code2040Kevin Weil, Head of Product, InstagramPhil Weiser, Hatfield Professor of Law, University of Colorado and Executive Director of the Silicon Flatirons CenterDaniel J. Weitzner, Principal Research Scientist, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyEmily White, Entrepreneur; Former COO, SnapchatEv Williams, Founder/CEO, Medium; Co-Founder Twitter, BloggerMonique Woodward, Venture Partner, 500 StartupsSteve Wozniak, Co-Founder, AppleTim Wu, Professor of Law, Columbia UniversityAndrew Yang, Founder/CEO, Venture for AmericaArielle Zuckerberg, Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
Thank you'...thank you'...thank you. I enjoyed watching discussions of Tony Blair (& President George W Bush) on C-span3 last night. U'all sure gave them some juicy information to mull over!!! Sure hope The Clinton Foundation gets their facts lined out like the British did. Our Justice Department swept Hillary's eMails under the rug. I've quit watching the phony USA News Rooms on Cable, I only watch cSpan & choose what I read/watch from the internet. GUCCIFER 2.0 is my very favorite. I'm saving his stuff to my computer, in case it gets removed. Thank you again for your H U G E contributions!!!
Thank you'...thank you'...thank you! I enjoyed watching discussions of Tony Blair (& President George W Bush) on C-span3 last night. You all sure gave them some raw information which they respected & used! Sure hope The Clinton Foundation ?investigators? get their facts straight like the British did. Our Justice Department swept Hillary's e-mails under the rug & say shes innocent. I've quit watching the phony USA News Rooms on Cable, I only watch c-Span & choose what I read/watch on the internet. GUCCIFER 2.0 & WikiLeaks are my very favorite! I'm saving your stuff to my computer, in case it gets removed from the internet. Thank you all again for your H U G E contributions in this stuff that keeps us from being so stupid in believing what's happening in our world!!!
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Migrants
Massive Migrant Camp Set Up Near George Clooney's Italian Mansion - Breitbart
A massive makeshift refugee camp has been established in Lake Como, the popular and secluded celebrity hideaway in Italy where Hollywood A-lister George Clooney keeps a home.The migration of hundreds of people from Arab nations, Africa, and Asia was triggered following the Swiss government's decision to close its southern border with Italy.
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Now, waiting for smugglers to lead them into northern Europe, groups of migrants are camping out in tattered tents around the Lake Como resort.
Flimsy dwellings, clothes and trash are scattered around the Northern Italian town's railway station, where dozens of new families and refugees have flocked.
The migrant camp is, oddly enough, just steps away from the front door of immigration activists' George and Amal Clooney's multi-million dollar lakeside mansion in Lake Como, according to the Daily Mail.
The couple was recently pictured drinking tequila while watching fireworks on a boat near the property alongside their close friend Bill Murray.
The Clooneys have taken refuge from the Hollywood spotlight in their summer home in Italy for years. Last year, Page Six reported that Clooney was mulling putting his Lake Como villa on the market due to ever-present and intrusive paparazzi.
It is unclear if the recent deluge of refugees pouring into town will have an affect on Clooney's decision to sell or not.
The power couple has spent some time talking about the migrant crisis. The Clooneys met privately with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in February and praised and thanked her for her leadership during the crisis.
Amal Clooney, the British-Lebanese human rights attorney who married George in 2014, slammed Republican presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump this past April, saying his immigration stance and promise to build a wall on the Mexican border do not represent ''U.S. values.''
George has previously described Trump as a ''xenophobic fascist'' who wants to ''ban Muslims from the country.''
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson
Survey reveals Germany's top companies employ just 54 refugees '-- FT.com
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STANDARD DIGITAL Limited Time OfferAccess to FT award winning news on desktop, mobile and tabletPersonalised email briefings by industry, journalist or sectorPortfolio tools to help manage your investmentsFastFT - market-moving news and views, 24 hours a dayBrexit Briefing - Your essential guide to the impact of the UK-EU splitPREMIUM DIGITALAll the benefits of a standard digital subscription plus:Unlimited access to all contentInstant Insights column for comment and analysis as news unfoldsFT Confidential Research - in-depth China and Southeast Asia analysisePaper - the digital replica of the printed newspaperFull access to LEX - our agenda setting daily commentaryExclusive emails, including a weekly email from our Editor, Lionel BarberFull access to EM Squared- news and analysis service on emerging marketsBrexit Briefing - Your essential guide to the impact of the UK-EU splitNEWSPAPER + PREMIUM DIGITALAll the benefits of a Premium Digital Subscription, plus:Free delivery to your home or office, Monday to SaturdayFT Weekend - a stimulating blend of news and lifestyleOther subscription options
Caliphate!
Laptops recovered from ISIS are filled 'up to 80%' with PORN, reveals former US intelligence director | Muslimpress
A former US intelligence director has revealed that laptops seized from ISIS fighters are filled up to 80 per cent with porn films.
A former US intelligence director has revealed that laptops seized from ISIS fighters are filled up to 80 per cent with porn films.
Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, an ex-chief of the Defence Intelligence Agency says the graphic films inures extremists to carry out their hideous brutality.
And he adds that intelligence gathering and the closing down of the fanatics' communications channels is key to beating them.
Flynn made the claims in the German newspaper Bild, where his book on winning the war against radical Salafism is being serialised.
The veteran, who is a potential running mate for Donald Trump in the US election later this year, wrote: 'We looked a ruthless enemy in the eye - women and children, girls and boys, raped and exploited, the beheadings stored on a laptop next to pornography.
'At one point we actually had determined that the material on the laptops was up to 80 per cent pornography.
'These sick, psychopathic enemies were not only unimaginably hideous, but also treacherous and torn. We had to work faster to outwit them if we wanted to beat them.'
However, it is not the first time that ISIS terrorists have been linked to having pornography on their laptops.
Last year, former London mayor Boris Johnson said that homegrown fanatics from the UK who go to join ISIS are w*****s who watch porn because they can't find girlfriends.
He explained that British terrorists often become radicalised because of their badly adjusted relations with women and turn to extremism to stop them feeling like losers.
Speaking at the time, Mr Johnson said: 'If you look at all the psychological profiling about bombers, they typically will look at porn. They are literally w*****s'.
Meanwhile US officials also revealed in 2011 that former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had a stash of pornography as he hid in his squalid lair in Pakistan.
U.S. Navy Seals said they uncovered the x-rated films during the mission to kill the terror leader, who masterminded the 9/11 attacks.
According to officials, the commandos found a 'fairly extensive' collection of modern porn films as they searched the building after Bin Laden was shot.
It has also been reported that the 9/11 jihadists visited strip clubs, paid for lap dances, and for prostitutes in motel rooms in Boston, Las Vegas and Florida before the attacks.
War on Weed
One striking chart shows why pharma companies are fighting legal marijuana - The Washington Post
There's a body of research showing that painkiller abuse and overdose are lower in states with medical marijuana laws. These studies have generally assumed that when medical marijuana is available, pain patients are increasingly choosing pot over powerful and deadly prescription narcotics. But that's always been just an assumption.
Now a new study, released in the journal Health Affairs, validates these findings by providing clear evidence of a missing link in the causal chain running from medical marijuana to falling overdoses. Ashley and W. David Bradford, a daughter-father pair of researchers at the University of Georgia, scoured the database of all prescription drugs paid for under Medicare Part D from 2010 to 2013.
They found that, in the 17 states with a medical-marijuana law in place by 2013, prescriptions for painkillers and other classes of drugs fell sharply compared with states that did not have a medical-marijuana law. The drops were quite significant: In medical-marijuana states, the average doctor prescribed 265 fewer doses of antidepressants each year, 486 fewer doses of seizure medication, 541 fewer anti-nausea doses and 562 fewer doses of anti-anxiety medication.
But most strikingly, the typical physician in a medical-marijuana state prescribed 1,826 fewer doses of painkillers in a given year.
These conditions are among those for which medical marijuana is most often approved under state laws. So as a sanity check, the Bradfords ran a similar analysis on drug categories that pot typically is not recommended for '-- blood thinners, anti-viral drugs and antibiotics. And on those drugs, they found no changes in prescribing patterns after the passage of marijuana laws.
"This provides strong evidence that the observed shifts in prescribing patterns were in fact due to the passage of the medical marijuana laws," they write.
In a news release, lead author Ashley Bradford wrote, "The results suggest people are really using marijuana as medicine and not just using it for recreational purposes."
One interesting wrinkle in the data is glaucoma, for which there was a small increase in demand for traditional drugs in medical-marijuana states. It's routinely listed as an approved condition under medical-marijuana laws, and studies have shown that marijuana provides some degree of temporary relief for its symptoms.
The Bradfords hypothesize that the short duration of the glaucoma relief provided by marijuana '-- roughly an hour or so '-- may actually stimulate more demand in traditional glaucoma medications. Glaucoma patients may experience some short-term relief from marijuana, which may prompt them to seek other, robust treatment options from their doctors.
The tanking numbers for painkiller prescriptions in medical marijuana states are likely to cause some concern among pharmaceutical companies. These companies have long been at the forefront of opposition to marijuana reform, funding research by anti-pot academics and funneling dollars to groups, such as the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, that oppose marijuana legalization.
Pharmaceutical companies have also lobbied federal agencies directly to prevent the liberalization of marijuana laws. In one case, recently uncovered by the office of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), the Department of Health and Human Services recommended that naturally derived THC, the main psychoactive component of marijuana, be moved from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 of the Controlled Substances Act '-- a less restrictive category that would acknowledge the drug's medical use and make it easier to research and prescribe. Several months after HHS submitted its recommendation, at least one drug company that manufactures a synthetic version of THC '-- which would presumably have to compete with any natural derivatives '-- wrote to the Drug Enforcement Administration to express opposition to rescheduling natural THC, citing "the abuse potential in terms of the need to grow and cultivate substantial crops of marijuana in the United States."
The DEA ultimately rejected the HHS recommendation without explanation.
In what may be the most concerning finding for the pharmaceutical industry, the Bradfords took their analysis a step further by estimating the cost savings to Medicare from the decreased prescribing. They found that about $165 million was saved in the 17 medical marijuana states in 2013. In a back-of-the-envelope calculation, the estimated annual Medicare prescription savings would be nearly half a billion dollars if all 50 states were to implement similar programs.
"That amount would have represented just under 0.5 percent of all Medicare Part D spending in 2013," they calculate.
Cost-savings alone are not a sufficient justification for implementing a medical-marijuana program. The bottom line is better health, and the Bradfords' research shows promising evidence that medical-marijuana users are finding plant-based relief for conditions that otherwise would have required a pill to treat.
"Our findings and existing clinical literature imply that patients respond to medical marijuana legislation as if there are clinical benefits to the drug, which adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that the Schedule 1 status of marijuana is outdated," the study concludes.
One limitation of the study is that it only looks at Medicare Part D spending, which applies only to seniors. Previous studies have shown that seniors are among the most reluctant medical-marijuana users, so the net effect of medical marijuana for all prescription patients may be even greater.
The Bradfords will next look at whether similar patterns hold for Medicaid.
Anne McDonald Pritchett, Vice president of policy and research for PhRMA, discusses prescription drug abuse. The discussion took place during Coffee@WaPo: A policy conversation about addiction in America. (Washington Post Live)
NWO
U.S. approves UN use of force to protect civilians in conflict
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U.S. approves UN use of force to protect civilians in conflictThe United States has announced its support for a set of principles that give a green light for U.N. peacekeeping troops and police to use force to protect civilians in armed conflicts.
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The Associated Press6:36 p.m. EDT July 13, 2016
Foreign Ministers and U.N. Ambassadors representing countries that endorsed the "Kigali Principles," a pledge that troops in U.N. missions will take military action to defend civilians, pose for pictures after a meeting, May 11, 2016, at U.N. headquarters.(Photo: Bebeto Matthews/AP)
Editor's note: This article was originally published at 6:34 p.m. EDT May 11, 2016.
UNITED NATIONS '-- The United States has announced its support for a set of principles that give a green light for U.N. peacekeeping troops and police to use force to protect civilians in armed conflicts.
U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power told a high-level U.N. meeting Wednesday focusing on the responsibility to protect civilians that the United States was "proud" and "humbled" to join 28 other countries that have pledged to abide by the 18 pledges.
U.N. peacekeepers from these 29 countries are now required to act in cases where civilians are in danger.
MILITARYTIMES
Benghazi report shows that Clinton has a lot to prove before leading troops into combat
"The Kigali Principles are designed to make sure that civilians are not abandoned by the international community again," she said, recalling how U.N. peacekeepers left Rwanda before the 1994 genocide and Srebrenica before the 1995 massacre.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Thu 25 Feb 2016 8:00pm GMT / 3:00pm EST / 12:00pm PSTFinance
Pok(C)mon GO developer adds to previous $20 million investments
Niantic, creator of the innovative Ingress mobile game, has just secured an additional $5 million as part of its Series A financing. It's previously received $20 million in funding from The Pok(C)mon Company, Google and Nintendo.
This latest round of funding came from Alsop Louie Partners, You & Mr Jones, Fuji TV and angel investors Cyan and Scott Banister, and Lucas Nealan and as part of the deal Gilman Louie will join the board of directors at Niantic.
"Niantic was founded on the concept of building interactive experiences using mobile technology to encourage people to engage with the world around them," said CEO John Hanke.
"We've seen players accomplish amazing things and we expect this to continue with the launch of Pok(C)mon GO later this year. I'm delighted to be adding this set of partners to the Niantic family. Each brings a unique capability to our team."
Niantic started life as part of Google, but became independent last August. In October it announced the Nintendo investment and just last month revealed that Ingress has seen over 14 million downloads since its release in 2012.
"We're impressed with the innovative work that John and his team at Niantic started at Google and are continuing to deliver against as an independent company," added Louie, partner at Alsop Louie Partners and new board member.
"During my tenure at In-Q-Tell, I led the investment in John's third company, Keyhole -- which was acquired by Google and eventually became Google Earth -- and have seen firsthand what is possible under his leadership. I am also thrilled and honored to be joining the Niantic Board of Directors and look forward to helping them realize their full potential in the emerging AR/VR/MR market."
Bank$ters
"Too Big to Jail" '-- US Refuses to Charge HSBC Because it Could Hurt the Financial System
As it turns out, the rumors were true '-- HSBC escaped prosecution for money laundering because the behemoth bank was ''too big to jail.''
A U.S. Congressional report, entitled ''Too Big to Jail: Inside the Obama Justice Department's Decision Not to Hold Wall Street Accountable,'' found officials in the U.K. applied the economic threat cum warning of ''market turmoil'' to ensure HSBC wouldn't be subject to prosecution for rather serious allegations.
Among a multitude of other findings, according to the report's Executive Summary [all emphasis has been added]:
Senior DOJ leadership, including Attorney General [Eric] Holder, overruled an internal recommendation by DOJ's Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section to prosecute HSBC because of DOJ leadership's concern that prosecuting the bank would have serious adverse consequences on the financial system ['...]
Attorney General Holder misled Congress concerning DOJ's reasons for not bringing a criminal prosecution against HSBC.
Chaired by U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, the Committee on Financial Services initiated a study in March 2013 concerning the Department of Justice's incongruent decision not to prosecute the London-based bank, nor its executives or employees, for laundering drug cartel money.
From the beginning, the Committee encountered ''non-compliance'' in efforts to obtain ''relevant documents'' from both the DOJ and Dept. of the Treasury, ''necessitating the issuance of subpoenas to both agencies.'' In fact, it took the Committee three full years from its initial request for information to ultimately procure the necessary items for review, and records from the Treasury show the DOJ ''has not been forthright with Congress or the American people concerning its decision'' not to prosecute the Big Bank.
As the summary noted further:
''Attorney General [Loretta] Lynch and Secretary [of the Treasury Jack] Lew remain in default of their legal obligation to produce the subpoenaed records to the Committee,'' and, in fact,
''DOJ's and Treasury's longstanding efforts to impede the Committee's investigation may constitute contempt and obstruction of Congress.''
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Due to the palpable threat of ''global financial disaster'' should the U.S. proceed with indicting HSBC or complicit employees '-- an advisement reiterated by the U.K.'s chief financial minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne to then-Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke '-- the DOJ chose not to proceed with charges, obfuscating the truth of its motivations to all but insiders.
Further, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) '-- the U.K.'s regulator of all financial services '-- ''hampered'' U.S. government investigations and ''influenced'' the DOJ's ultimate decision to refrain from prosecution.
Though HSBC settled for $1.92 billion, no criminal charges were ever filed against the entity or any of its employees.
A letter from Osborne to Bernanke in which then-Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was copied warned prosecuting a ''systemically important financial institution'' like HSBC ''could lead to [financial] contagion'' and pose ''very serious implications for financial and economic stability, particularly in Europe and Asia.''
Holder rejected recommendations from less senior staff to charge HSBC because of its ''systemic importance'' to global financial markets. The report continues:
Rather than lacking adequate evidence to prove HSBC's criminal conduct, internal Treasury documents show that DOJ leadership declined to pursue AFMLS's recommendation to prosecute HSBC because senior DOJ leaders were concerned that prosecuting the bank 'could result in a global financial disaster' '-- as the FSA repeatedly warned.
With both politicians and the public critical of the settlement in lieu of prosecution, rumblings at the time posited HSBC might indeed be 'too big to jail' '-- rumors the Committee proved true.
As Zero Hedgepointed out, in Holder's testimony over the matter before Congress in 2013, the AG claimed certain financial institutions would be difficult to prosecute due their bloated influence over global financial markets. In later attempts at clarification, which the Committee found to be misleading, Holder told Congress:
If we find a bank or a financial institution that has done something wrong, if we can prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, those cases will be brought.
That statement proved mendacious, as well, considering Treasury documents recommended criminal prosecution '-- and even the settlement, with its ''deferred prosecution agreement,'' found evidence of criminal wrongdoing by HSBC.
HSBC understaffed and handicapped required 'anti-money laundering' controls, allowing the bank to launder $881 million for the Mexican Sinaloa and Colombian Norte del Valle drug cartels '-- as well as violating U.S. sanctions against Iran, Libya, Burma, Sudan, and Cuba '-- according to the DOJ's settlement with the too-big-to-jail bank.
As the BBCreported, both HSBC and U.S. regulatory officials declined comment on the report.
Damning though the Committee's findings may be, prosecution remains unlikely for the same reasons it escaped prosecution in the first place. Essentially, the report proved '-- despite criminal wrongdoing as insidious as supporting major drug cartels and catering to states considered enemies of the United States '-- certain Big Banks are literally Too Big to Jail.
Claire Bernish writes for TheFreeThoughtProject.com, where this article first appeared.
Spiro Reports-''Too Big to Jail'': The Revolving Doors- From HSBC to the Clintons
The Revolving Doors between governments and corporations go way beyond conflicts of interest. A criminal network exists that is subverting the judicial system, ensuring business as usual for the elite. Let's take a look at a great recent example of this phenomenon in the case of Hillary Clinton and HSBC, and their gate-keepers, from FBI's James Comey and DOJ's Loretta Lynch, to former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Henry Kissinger!
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Show Notes
''Too Big To Jail'' '-- Us Refuses To Charge Hsbc Because It Could Hurt The Financial System
Report Prepared by the Republican Staff of the Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives
Anonymous FBI Agents Say Lynch and Clinton Struck a Deal on That Plane
HSBC Hires Kissinger to Help Them Flee The Country
HSBC Seeks Rice Advice As HQ Decision Looms
HSBC money laundering report: Key findings
Gangster Bankers Too Big To Fail
Black Dossier: HSBC and Terrorist Finance
US Refused To Prosecute HSBC Over Fears Of "Global Financial Disaster"
Former MI5 Chief Jonathan Evans Joins HSBC Main Board
FBI Director Comey is a board member of Clinton Foundation connected bank HSBC.
Base wary of Clinton Foundation's ties to troubled banks
FBI Director Comey was board member of HSBC '' Clinton Foundation & Drug Cartel 'bank of choice'
HSBC To Be Fined Billions, Laundered Money For 9/11 Attacks
Report Shows How HSBC Maintained Its Ties With One Of Osama Bin Laden's Key Benefactors
Comey: Hillary's FBI Testimony Wasn't Under Oath Or Recorded, But It Would Still Be a Crime To Lie
Attorney General Lynch On Secret Meeting With Bill Clinton
FBI Director Comey is a board member of Clinton Foundation connected bank HSBC. InvestmentWatch
It seems that our beloved FBI Director is or until very recently was a director and board member of HSBC, which is tightly connected to the Clinton Foundation. Check out some of these links:
http://www.hsbc.com/news-and-insight/2013/former-us-deputy-attorney-general-joins-hsbc-board''Mr. Comey's appointment will be for an initial three-year term which, subject to re-election by shareholders, will expire at the conclusion of the 2016 Annual General Meeting.''
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/feb/10/hillary-clinton-foundation-donors-hsbc-swiss-bank''Clinton foundation received up to $81m from clients of controversial HSBC bank''
https://www.clintonfoundation.org/search/node/HSBCIt's like a revolving door of money and special projects that the bank and the CF are involved in.
This is the same HSBC that was accused of laundering drug cartel money, was heavily involved in the LIBOR scandal, and who knows what else, and all while our esteemed FBI Director James ''she didn't intend it'' Comey was part of the senior leadership.
It turns out that FBI Director Comey may be connected to the Clinton Foundation and House Republicans want to know exactly what that connection is.According to Infowars, House Republicans sent a letter to Comey yesterday, demanding to know why he didn't recommend federal charges against Hillary Clinton over her use of private email servers.The letter, sent by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, and Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina states:''[Clinton] clearly placed our nation's secrets in peril. No one is above the law, and the American people deserve a more robust explanation for your decision to not recommend criminal charges.''The letter mentions emails deleted by Clinton, but forensically recovered by the FBI and asks if they had any connection to the Clinton Foundation.Recent revelations have shown, however, that Comey still sits as a Director of the Swiss mega-bank, HSBC Holdings, as a member of their Financial System Vulnerabilities Committee.Wealthy HSBC clients have donated mightily to the Clinton Foundation, including convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.According to Judicial Watch, the Clintons may be guilty of 200 incidents of conflict of interest as they amassed at least $48 million dollars in speaking fees while Hillary Clinton was serving as Secretary of State and hiding all email traffic through her illegal home server.Although Comey's connection to the Clinton Foundation is probably tenuous at best, no one knows for sure. Any sort of connection to one of the world's biggest banks would be enough to cause Clinton to receive kid glove treatment while others accused of lesser crimes paid the full penalty.According to Rep. Matt Salmon of Arizona, Comey's connections to HSBC should be investigated by a special prosecutor.Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio seems to agree as today, he accused the FBI of being ''steeped in political bias'' and also said there should be an ''independent and impartial'' investigation of Mrs. Clinton's abuse of classified emails.
FBI Director Comey is a board member of Clinton Foundationhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3679775/FBI-chief-REFUSES-say-Clinton-Foundation-probe-ended-Hillary-s-classified-email-case.html
RE
HSBC money laundering report: Key findings - BBC News
Image caption HSBC operates in more than 80 countries around the world Failure after failure at HSBC led to the London-based bank being used as a conduit for "drug kingpins and rogue nations", a 300-page report compiled for a US Senate committee and has found.
The July 2012 report and investigations by US authorities led to the UK-based bank being fined almost $2bn for failing to stop criminals using its banking systems to launder money.
Here we summarise some of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation's main findings against HSBC.
Mexican drug baronsDespite HSBC Mexico (HSMX) operating in a country "under siege from drug crime, violence and money laundering" it had inadequate money laundering controls.
Between 2007-8, for example, HBMX shipped $7bn to HSBC's US operation, more than any other HSBC affiliate.
Mexican and US authorities expressed concern that drug traffickers were able to circumvent the anti-money laundering controls at US banks by transporting US dollars to Mexico, and then using HBMX to transfer it to the US.
The committed report said HBMX had:
high-profile clients involved in drug traffickingmillions of dollars of suspicious bulk travellers chequesa resistance to closing accounts linked to suspicious activityHSBC US (HBUS) nevertheless classed Mexico as a low-risk country and as a result, failed to properly monitor its transfers and other dealings with it.
Dealings with IranIn an age of international terrorism, drug violence in our streets and on our borders, and organized crime, stopping illicit money flows that support those atrocities is a national security imperativeSenator Carl Levin, Subcommittee chairmanHSBC was used by 'drug kingpins'
US laws prevent banks doing business with what it regards as the most dangerous individuals and countries.
HSBC frequently circumvented the rules designed to prevent dealings with Iran, Burma, North Korea and Iran.
Actions taken to get around these safeguards in the system "may have facilitated transactions on half of terrorists, drug traffickers or other wrongdoers", it said.
For example, HBUS carried out 28,000 undisclosed sensitive transactions between 2001 and 2007, an internal audit commissioned by the bank found. The vast majority of those transactions - worth $19.7bn - involved Iran.
Two affiliates, HSBC Europe and HSBC Middle East repeatedly altered transaction information to take out any reference to Iran, the report said.
This may have been to prevent red flags in the system triggering an individual review of an accepted transaction, slowing it down, the committee said.
But more work would need to be done to established which of these thousands of cases, if any, had broken US law.
Terrorist financing linksHSBC did business with Saudi Arabia's biggest financial institution, Al Rajhi Bank.
The report claims that after the terrorist attacks in the US on 11 September 2001, evidence emerged that Al Rajhi and some of its owners had links to financial organisations associated with terrorism.
HSBC Middle East was one of a number of affiliates which continued to work with the bank.
HBUS closed the accounts it provided to Al Rajhi, before resuming some ties with them in 2006.
The report claimed it had done this after pressure from HSBC, after Al Rajhi threatened to withdraw all of its business from HSBC globally.
Suspicious travellers' chequesThe committee is concerned that HSBC cleared large amounts of travellers' checks over a number of years, without proper anti-money laundering controls, despite evidence of suspicious activity.
Between 2005 and 2008, HBUS cleared $290m worth of US dollar travellers' cheques which were being presented at a Japanese bank.
The daily transactions were worth up to half a million dollars, with large blocks of sequentially numbered cheques being handed over.
After prompting from US regulators, HBUS found out that the travellers' cheques were being bought in Russia - a country at high-risk of money laundering.
THE HAGUE (AFP) '' A man was on Thursday sentenced to 30 days in prison for insulting the king of the Netherlands on Facebook, prosecutors said, after being convicted of breaking seldom used royal defamation laws.The 44-year-old Dutchman ''intentionally insulted King Willem-Alexander'', accusing him of being a murderer, thief and rapist, the Dutch judiciary said in a statement.
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The man also doctored images of executions online to include the king's face in place of those of the actual victims, it said.
He was found to have violated the king's dignity, ''specifically relating to the king's constitutional position and its importance for the national interest''.
''This behaviour is unacceptable in our society and demands that a penalty be imposed on the suspect.''
Although the court in Overijssel, in the country's northeast sentenced him to 30 days imprisonment, of which 16 were suspended, the man will not face any further time in prison having already spent 14 days in preventative custody last year.
The Netherland's progressive D66 party has proposed scrapping the so-called ''lese majeste'' laws that make it an offence to defame the king, according to Dutch news site Nu.nl.
King Willem-Alexander, who according to Nu.nl supports an examination of the laws, has pledged to accept the outcome of any debate on the issue.
The issue of the laws banning defamatory speech against the royals last flared up in November 2014 when an activist shouted ''Fuck the King, Fuck the Queen and Fuck the Royal House'' during a protest.
Though the prosecutor initially filed a suit against the protestor, the decision was subsequently reversed after an outcry over the move that was condemned as an assault on freedom of speech.
The law banning defamation of the royal household has been on the statute books since 1881 and carries a penalty of up to five years in prison or a fine of 20,000 euros ($22,000) for those convicted.
In practice prosecutions are rare with just 18 brought between 2000 and 2012 '-- only half of which resulted in convictions, according to public television.
Milpitas, Calif., Police Department Nixes Predictive Policing Contract
(TNS) '-- Three years ago, Milpitas Police Department had hopes of employing a new crime-fighting technology that bordered on something one might see in a science fiction movie.
But about a year after the city authorized a three-year, $37,000 contract with California-based PredPol Inc. for so-called predictive policing software '-- which uses mathematics, social science and probability to geographically pinpoint and ultimately reduce crime '-- the department pulled the plug on the agreement.
"After approximately one year of usage, it was our experience that the minimal benefit did not justify continuing costs," Milpitas Police Chief Steve Pangelinan said last week.
In 2013, police here were interested in PredPol's Web-based algorithmic software that calculates historic crime trends, demographics and even the weather in order to deploy officers to areas that experience the most crime. At the time, Pangelinan told this newspaper the predictive technology had the ability to locate crime to an area as small as 500 feet by 500 feet.
"In total, it will hopefully reduce crime," Pangelinan previously said.
Fast-forward three years and the police chief found the software less than stellar.
"It was our experience that we often did not have sufficient staff to post officers at PredPol-identified locations and still remain responsive to priority calls for service," Pangelinan said.
He added his police force discovered that within Milpitas' approximately 14 square miles the "existing internal processes of tracking crime and identifying potential areas of exposure were often more accurate than results received from PredPol."
Since ditching PredPol, Pangelinan asserted that Milpitas police are not using similar, crime-predictive technologies in part due to the size of the city.
"I think the PredPol system may have greater benefit to law enforcement organizations policing much larger geographical jurisdictions where greater variables in crime patterns may exist," he said.
When the city's police force had envisioned using PredPol, the technology had come with some fanfare.
That included Time magazine, which called the predictive policing software one of the best inventions of 2011. Similarly, a 2012 Associated Press story on the new technology stated that Los Angeles Police Department was the largest agency to embrace the technology.
PredPol's website states that its tool was developed over the course of six years by a team of mathematicians and social scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles; Santa Clara University; and University of California, Irvine in close collaboration with crime analysts and line-level officers at the Los Angeles and Santa Cruz police departments.
PredPol states that the mission for its software is simple: place officers at the right time and location to give them the best chance of preventing crime.
To accomplish this, PredPol processes crime data in order to: assign probabilities of future crime events to regions of space and time; present estimated crime risk in a usable framework to law enforcement decision makers; and lead to more efficient and more accurate resource deployment by local law enforcement agencies.
Besides Los Angeles police, the Santa Cruz, Modesto and Atlanta police departments have implemented PredPol's software and claim reductions in crime in those cities, the firm's website states.
According to Pangelinan, there was no real cost to the city for using PredPol software. A 2013 Citizen Options for Public Safety (COPS) grant '-- generally awarded by the state of California to law enforcement agencies each year '-- helped finance the purchase.
"We utilized state grant funds of $12,500 for the one-year subscription," he said.
Meanwhile, Pangelinan asserted that crime rates, which can be cyclical, rising and falling year over year, in the city of Milpitas has been declining as of late.
He said the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Part 1 serious, violent crimes such as murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, auto theft, arson and burglary have all seen decreases in Milpitas in the last year or so.
"In 2013 we realized a 2 percent increase in FBI Part 1 crimes, and in 2014 a 4 percent increase. However, in 2015 crime in these same categories declined by more than 8 percent," Pangelinan said. "Through May of 2016 crime in these same categories are down 13 percent below year-to-date numbers in 2015."
But Pangelinan would not comment as to the reason '-- whether it's old-fashioned police work or some other factor '-- why crime here appears to be on the decline.
'--'--'--
(C)2016 the San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.)
Visit the San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.) at www.mercurynews.com
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Like / Ebola / Vaccine$
Suspected Female-to-Male Sexual Transmission of Zika Virus '-- New York City, 2016 | MMWR
A routine investigation by the New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) identified a nonpregnant woman in her twenties who reported she had engaged in a single event of condomless vaginal intercourse with a male partner the day she returned to NYC (day 0) from travel to an area with ongoing Zika virus transmission. She had headache and abdominal cramping while in the airport awaiting return to NYC. The following day (day 1) she developed fever, fatigue, a maculopapular rash, myalgia, arthralgia, back pain, swelling of the extremities, and numbness and tingling in her hands and feet. In addition, on day 1, the woman began menses that she described as heavier than usual. On day 3 she visited her primary care provider who obtained blood and urine specimens. Zika virus RNA was detected in both serum and urine by real-time reverse transcription''polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) performed at the DOHMH Public Health Laboratory using a test based on an assay developed at CDC (1). The results of serum testing for anti-Zika virus immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody performed by the New York State Department of Health Wadsworth Center laboratory was negative using the CDC Zika IgM antibody capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Zika MAC-ELISA) (2).
Seven days after sexual intercourse (day 6), the woman's male partner, also in his twenties, developed fever, a maculopapular rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis. On day 9, three days after the onset of his symptoms, the man sought care from the same primary care provider who had diagnosed Zika virus infection in his female partner. The provider suspected sexual transmission of Zika virus and contacted DOHMH to seek testing for the male partner. That same day, day 9, urine and serum specimens were collected from the man. Zika virus RNA was detected in urine but not serum by rRT-PCR testing at the DOHMH Public Health Laboratory. Zika virus IgM antibodies were not detectable by the CDC Zika MAC-ELISA assay performed at the New York State Department of Health Wadsworth Center. The CDC Arbovirus Disease Branch confirmed all rRT-PCR results for urine and serum specimens from both partners.
During an interview with DOHMH on day 17, the man confirmed that he had not traveled outside the United States during the year before his illness. He also confirmed a single encounter of condomless vaginal intercourse with his female partner (the patient) after her return to NYC and reported that he did not engage in oral or anal intercourse with her. The man reported that he noticed no blood on his uncircumcised penis immediately after intercourse that could have been associated either with vaginal bleeding or with any open lesions on his genitals. He also reported that he did not have any other recent sexual partners or receive a mosquito bite within the week preceding his illness.
Independent follow-up interviews with the woman and man corroborated the exposure and illness history. The patients were consistent in describing illness onset, symptoms, sexual history, and the woman's travel. This information also was consistent with the initial report from the primary care provider.
The timing and sequence of events support female-to-male Zika virus transmission through condomless vaginal intercourse. The woman likely was viremic at the time of sexual intercourse because her serum, collected 3 days later, had evidence of Zika virus RNA by rRT-PCR. Virus present in either vaginal fluids or menstrual blood might have been transmitted during exposure to her male partner's urethral mucosa or undetected abrasions on his penis. Recent reports document detection of Zika virus in the female genital tract, including vaginal fluid. A study on nonhuman primates found Zika virus RNA detected in the vaginal fluid of three nonpregnant females up to 7 days after subcutaneous inoculation (3), and Zika virus RNA was detected in specimens from a woman's cervical mucous, genital swab, and endocervical swab collected 3 days after illness onset, using an unspecified RT-PCR test (4). Further studies are needed to determine the characteristics of Zika virus shedding in the genital tract and vaginal fluid of humans.
This case represents the first reported occurrence of female-to-male sexual transmission of Zika virus. Current guidance to prevent sexual transmission of Zika virus is based on the assumption that transmission occurs from a male partner to a receptive partner (5,6). Ongoing surveillance is needed to determine the risk for transmission of Zika virus infection from a female to her sexual partners. Providers should report to their local or state health department any patients with illnesses compatible with Zika virus disease who do not have a history of travel to an area with ongoing Zika virus transmission, but who had a sexual exposure to a partner who did travel.
Persons who want to reduce the risk for sexual transmission of Zika virus should abstain from sex or correctly and consistently use condoms for vaginal, anal, and oral sex, as recommended in the current CDC guidance (5). Guidance on prevention of sexual transmission of Zika virus, including other methods of barrier protection, will be updated as additional information becomes available (http://www.cdc.gov/zika).
The Zika Epidemic Has Been Given a Three-Year Expiration Date
Aedes aegypti mosquitos sit inside a glass tube at the Fiocruz institute where they have been screening for mosquitos naturally infected with the Zika virus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Image: Felipe Dana/Associated Press)Models produced by researchers at Imperial College London indicate that the ongoing Zika epidemic in parts of Latin American will likely burn itself out within three years. Finally, we have some good news to share about this dreadful disease.
A new report published in Science concludes that the Zika epidemic will largely come to an end in about two to three years, and that the next large-scale epidemic is unlikely to emerge for at least another ten years. Unfortunately, the Zika virus is not going to disappear completely, so we still face the distinct possibility that smaller outbreaks may emerge over the course of this time. The study also concludes that the epidemic cannot be contained with existing control measures.
Because the virus is unable to infect the same person twice...the epidemic reaches a stage where there are too few people left to infect for transmission to be sustained.For the study, a team led by epidemiologist Neil Ferguson collated all existing data pertaining to Zika transmission across Latin America, along with data about the spread of similar viruses, such as dengue. The researchers used this information to build a mathematical model representing the current epidemic, and to predict future waves of transmission.
''The current explosive epidemic will burn itself out due to a phenomenon called herd immunity,'' explained Ferguson in a release. ''Because the virus is unable to infect the same person twice'--thanks to the immune system generating antibodies to kill it'--the epidemic reaches a stage where there are too few people left to infect for transmission to be sustained.''
According to the models, another large-scale epidemic won't start for at least another ten years'--a time when a new generation who hasn't been exposed to the virus will emerge in the population. This is similar to the way other epidemics work, such as chikungunya (another mosquito-borne disease that's similar to Zika and dengue), in which explosive epidemics are followed by long periods with few new cases.
Ferguson's team also cautioned against any large-scale government programs to target mosquitoes, saying the effort will have very little impact at this point.
''[Previous] experience with dengue has shown controlling spread to be incredibly difficult,'' said Ferguson. ''Also, efforts to contain the epidemic would have needed to have been implemented much earlier in the current Zika epidemic to have a major effect'--but by the time we realised the scale of the problem it was too late.''
http://io9.gizmodo.com/what-happens-w'...
As this research shows, herd immunity is a very powerful natural process that enables a population to hold back and prevent the ongoing spread of dangerous viruses. Herd immunity can also be commuted to the population through vaccinations which is why it's so important to get immunized. Sadly, the grossly irresponsible and irrational anti-vaxxer movement is weakening herd immunity, making young children and those who cannot get vaccinated for valid health reasons more susceptible to diseases such as measles and whooping cough.
[Science]
George is a contributing editor at Gizmodo and io9.
CLIPS AND DOCS
VIDEO-(AUDIO) MIKE PENCE (DONALD TRUMPS RUNNING MATE) FULL INTERVIEW WITH SEAN HANNITY (7/15/2016) - YouTube
it shouldn't be taken by anyone allergic to memantine, or who's had a bad reaction to namenda xr or its ingredients. before starting treatment, tell their doctor if they have, or ever had, a seizure disorder, difficulty passing urine, liver, kidney or bladder problems, and about medications they're taking. certain medications, changes in diet, or medical conditions may affect the amount of namenda xr in the body and may increase side effects. the most common side effects are headache, diarrhea, and dizziness. all my life, she's been there for me. now i am giving back. ask their doctor about once-daily namenda xr and learn about a free trial offer at namendaxr.com. 'ª the sun'll come out for people with heart failure, tomorrow is not a given. but entresto is a medicine that helps make more tomorrows possible. 'ª tomorrow, tomorrow... 'ª i love ya, tomorrow in the largest heart failure study ever. entresto helped more people stay alive and out of the hospital than a leading heart failure medicine.
VIDEO-ISIS claims credit for Nice attack, cops let truck through 'after he said he was carrying ice cream' - YouTube
Please enable JavaScript to experience Vimeo in all of its glory.
Part of President Clinton's apology for the Human Radiation Experiments on October 3, 1995. (The conversion from WMV to Vimeo's format has resulted in very low-quality playback. A 25 minute video is available in C-SPAN's archives; see c-spanvideo.org/program/67458-1 - the URL may change, but you can search C-SPAN's archives for "Human Radiation Experiments". The official admission starts at 16:37.)
This video has been portrayed as an apology for MKULTRA, but it's not - search for the spoken words in quotes and you'll find the complete apology on the Department of Energy's web site.
Clinton's apology was overshadowed by the OJ Simpson trial verdict and subsequent media circus, a few hours later - that's probably not a coincidence. The mislabeling of this video as an "MKULTRA apology" is probably also not a coincidence.
VIDEO-Sorry Cons - There Is More Racism (Not Less) By Police - YouTube
''I'm not gonna hit anybody, I'm not gonna shoot anybody, I'm gonna speak to you, I'm gonna use my words,'' she said.
Those were the last words one Black Lives Matter protester in Rochester, New York, before being arrested on camera during an interview with TWC News.
''Oh my God, oh my God,'' she said as officer swarmed around her.
Sapphire Williams, 22, was arrested at a protest wasn't planning to attend, but joined when she and her friends stumbled upon it while they were out. Not long after she started talking to the camera, officers dressed in riot gear rush up to her and arrest her.
It all started when she began speaking to fellow demonstrators, the police and, eventually, the news media about ''what got us to this point,'' Williams, who recently graduated from Albany University, said. Moments later, she was detained by police.
''I was completely taken aback by the onrush of officers and this very SWAT-like gear coming towards me out of nowhere,'' Williams told CNN of the arrest. ''I was extremely alarmed. I had no idea what they were going to do to me, if they were about to tackle me to the ground.''
Williams spent the night in jail with other protesters and was kept in police custody until 7 a.m. the next day. She described the whole experience as ''very traumatizing'' and ''almost humiliating.'' All of her jewelry and her shoes were confiscated, her mugshot was taken and metal detectors were pressed on either side of her face.
''We were coming to grips with the severity of issues at hand, understanding we're all affected '-- it's not just the black community,'' she said of her time in jail. ''It was a sobering experience.''
In the end, though, Williams said the whole ordeal made her feel ''100 times more empowered.''
''Instances like mine caught on camera make people become aware and more empathetic to issues black Americans face,'' she said, ''and generally people of color and with a socioeconomic status who don't have a voice.''
According to the Rochester City Court, Williams was charged with disorderly conduct and her arraignment is set for July 26.
After Black Lives Matter shut down the Gay Pride Parade in Toronto last week with a list of demands, one of which was that they remove the police float from the parade, I spoke with Rebel contributor James Campbell to get his thoughts.
As James says, Pride is about being gay or trans and has nothing to do with the colour of your skin.
Watch as James explains why this move was insulting and divisive and to hear his advice for gay people after the violence in Orlando.
