As we wait for more details on the mass shooting in Munich, let’s not forget the investigation in Nice is still underway. The results so far undercut the notion of a “lone wolf” attack and instead point to careful planning with multiple accomplices:
The man who drove a truck into a crowd in Nice, France, killing 84 people, plotted his July 14 attack for months with “support and accomplices,” Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Thursday.
Molins said authorities are investigating five suspects who are in custody on terror charges related to the attack that Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel carried out on Bastille Day, France’s main national holiday.
One suspect allegedly sent Bouhlel a Facebook message saying, “Load the truck with tons of iron and cut the brakes. I’ll look brother.”
More:
An analysis of cell phone and computer content — including a photo of last year’s Bastille Day fireworks event focused on the crowd — showed Bouhlel had been planning the assault since at least 2015, Moins said.
The cell phone content also included information on the drug Captagon, an amphetamine pill that can cause a surge of energy and a euphoric high. Jihadist fighters sometimes use this drug.
“The investigation underway since the night of July 14 has progressed and not only confirmed the murderous premeditated nature of Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel’s act but also established that he benefited from support and accomplices,” Molins said at a news conference.
The note abut Captagon is particularly interesting. It’s a little-known fact that at least some jihadist fanaticism is chemically-induced. Our soldiers have fought again and again with jihadists who are high on various stimulants. Friends in Iraq told me of stories of injured, drug-crazed jihadists who literally tried to bite American medics even as they bled from gaping wounds. These men knew they wanted to fight to the death, but they couldn’t muster up the courage without drugs.
As the investigation continues, we’ll learn whether the attack was directed or “just” inspired by ISIS or another jihadist organization, but let’s be clear — when inspiring terrorists is a core aspect of jihadist strategy, there is little comfort in finding no coordination. Indeed, the lack of coordination may be more disturbing. It means that jihadists need fewer and fewer resources to strike at the heart of the West. They just need a willing audience, a few friends, and — in this case — one big truck.
So Much for the 'Lone Wolf' Theory in the Nice Terror Attack