The special assize court of Paris discovered this Thursday the video of the ram truck attack which killed 86 people on July 14, 2016 on the Promenade des Anglais.
The pictures are ” terrifying », warned the president of the court Laurent Raviot. On the screens in the courtroom, the truck driven by Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel began its murderous course. He voluntarily rushes at a group of onlookers, then swerves from right to left to mow down as many people as possible.
On the side of the seven defendants present, some look at the screens, others do not. Chokri Chafroud and Mohamed Ghraieb, two of the three defendants prosecuted for terrorist criminal association, do not raise their heads. On the benches of the civil parties, people burst into tears, some left the room, while the images show bodies caught under the vehicle. The violence of the shocks knocked down its grille. The machine is heading towards another group, including children, who do not hear the danger. Witnesses said that this national holiday evening, there was a lot of noise on the Promenade des Anglais where orchestras were playing.
The short video from a private individual, also shown to the hearing, shows a jazz orchestra playing. The audience applauds the last piece when suddenly shouts ring out. The truck hit them from behind. Musicians take their heads with both hands.
” Necessary »
When the light returns to the courtroom, the silence is heavy. Many people have red eyes. ” The images are very, very harsh. We wonder how the assailant was able to drive this truck for more than four minutes without avoiding people “, says Jean-Claude Hubler, president of the association of victims Life for Nice, at the microphone of our special correspondent, Eric Chaurin. ” I shouldn’t have (attended the viewing). It’s very difficult. »
Isabelle Picard, she wanted to watch this video because she decided to testify at the bar next week. ” I do not regret it. I think a rollback was necessary for a future reconstructione”, delivers this survivor of the attack.
In Paris, exceptional security measures were taken during the viewing. The president of the court had ordered that the telephones and computers, including those of the journalists, be put away at the time of the broadcast of the video. Seven psychologists, volunteer firefighters and gendarmes were there to provide assistance to people who had suffered too much. Half a dozen people left the courtroom during the viewing.
No one will be able to see these images again. They were put back under seal immediately after being broadcast.