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           French Officials Hold Moment of Silence for Attack Victims

   by VOA News

   Silent tributes were held across France in honor of the victims of the
   Bastille Day attack that left 84 people dead in Nice and hundreds
   injured.

   Prime Minister Manuel Valls joined thousands Monday along the seaside
   promenade for a moment of silence just days after Mohamed
   Lahouaiej-Bouhlel drove a truck into a crowd on July 14.

   Jeers could be heard as Valls and other politicians departed, with
   several people in the crowd shouting at them to resign.

   In Paris, French President Francois Hollande and Interior Minister
   Bernard Cazeneuve also held a minute of silence to honor the victims.

   ''

   Opposition parties have accused Hollande's government of not doing
   enough to combat terrorism.

   Hollande said France's state of emergency, set to end later this month,
   will be extended another three months. He has also enacted Operation
   Sentinel, introduced after terror attacks in January 2015, that allow
   10,000 extra military personnel to boost the ranks of security forces
   across the country. Hollande has said that France will strengthen its
   roles in Syria and Iraq, adding, "We will continue striking those who
   attack us on our own soil."

   Thursday's slaughter was the third major terrorist attack in France
   since last year. A coordinated attack in Paris on November 13 killed at
   least 130 people in a strike claimed by Islamic State, and a series of
   attacks in January 2015 that began with an assault on the offices of
   the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo killed 17 people.

   ''

   The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for the
   latest incident. A statement published in an IS media outlet called the
   attacker a "soldier."

   Bouhlel, who lived in Nice, was suspected by local police to have
   committed criminal offenses. In March, he was given a suspended,
   six-month sentence for armed violence that took place in January.
   Relatives living in Tunisia told news agencies that he had
   psychological problems before leaving for France in 2005. His father
   said Bouhlel had problems from 2002 to 2004 "that caused a nervous
   breakdown."

   Some material for this report came from AFP and Reuters.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/french-officials-hold-moment-of-silence-for-attack-victims/3422857.html