[JURIST] Following Thursday’s attack in Nice, French President François Hollande has chosen to extend [Telegraph news release] for three months the state of emergency, which had been set to expire on July 26. Stating that “[i]t is the whole of France which is under threat from Islamic terrorism,” Hollande stepped back from his previous statements that it would be impossible to prolong indefinitely the state of emergency, which had been declared following the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris. Following his announcement, Hollande stated that the government would reassess the domestic terror threat, calling a meeting of the country’s defense committee today. He also promised to increase military involvement in Syria and Iraq. The perpetrator has been killed, though it remains to be seen whether he acted alone as France remains on high alert.

At least 84 citizens were killed [BBC report] during Bastille Day celebrations in Nice Thursday as a man driving a truck slammed through a crowd. The man, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, was killed by police. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, though the attack follows a call by Islamic State (IS) spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani for IS followers to kill non-believers in the West through any means possible. The Bastille Day tragedy is the second most deadly in a string of terrorist acts in France, including the November 13 Paris attacks [BBC news archive], which claimed 130 lives, and the murder [BBC report] of two French police officials by a man claiming allegiance to IS.