Two Americans were among the dozens dead in Thursday’s terror attack in Nice, the State Department confirmed early Friday.
The department did not immediately reveal the identities of the American victims in the attack which rocked the annual Bastille Day celebrations. At least 84 people were dead and many more injured when an attacker drove a truck carrying various weapons into a crowd of people celebrating the French national holiday.
.@statedeptspox: We can confirm two U.S. citizens were killed in #NiceAttack. We express condolences to family and friends of those killed.
— Department of State (@StateDept) July 15, 2016
ABC News reported that Sean Copeland and his son Brodie, 11, were the Americans killed, according to a family member of the two victims.
The State Department said it is working to determine if other American citizens were injured in the attack and urged U.S. citizens in Nice who are safe to contact family members.
"We are aware that two U.S. citizens were killed in the attack. We are working with local authorities to determine if other U.S. citizens were injured in the event," the department said in a statement released Friday. "We strongly urge U.S. citizens in Nice to be in direct contact with your family members in the United States and elsewhere to advise them of your safety."
French President Francois Hollande said Friday that 50 people injured in the attack were between life and death and attributed it to terrorism.
The attacker has been identified as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a French-Tunisian man who was previously known to police for theft and violence but not on the radar of French intelligence services, Reuters reported.
The attack came days after Hollande announced that he would soon lift the months-long state of emergency in France put in place after the coordinated terror attacks in Paris that claimed 130 lives last November. The state of emergency will be extended for an additional three months following the Nice attack, he said early Friday.
"A fresh atrocity has has just been inflicted on France," Hollande said in an address. "It is the whole of France which is under threat from Islamic terrorism."
The November attack was claimed by ISIS, though the group has not yet claimed responsibility for the latest assault. The Independent reported that ISIS called on supporters to use cars to attack French people before Thursday’s attack.
President Obama issued a statement on the attack Thursday evening, describing it as a "horrific terrorist attack."
"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," Obama said. "I have directed my team to be in touch with French officials, and we have offered any assistance that they may need to investigate this attack and bring those responsible to justice."