Wenn/AFP Mohamed Bouhlel was an 'unlikely jihadist' his family says

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Family described Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel as an “unlikely jihadist” and said he broke every law of Islam in his every day life, including eating pork and drinking alcohol. The 31-year-old loser was in the middle of being divorced by his wife, who he used to beat, and had just lost his job as a delivery driver when he launched the horrific attack.

Bouhlel killed at least 84 people and injured hundreds more when he drove an articulated lorry into crowds watching a Bastille Day fireworks display on the Promenade des Anglais last night. He was then surrounded and killed by police sharpshooters who shot out the windscreen of the truck as they desperately tried to put a stop to the carnage.

Wenn The 31-year-old massacred pedestrians with a lorry in Nice

Photoshot Police have raided his flat in the search for clues

Police revealed this afternoon that father-of-three Bouhlel was a Tunisian citizen who had a 10-year residency card and was qualified to drive lorries for a living. He had rented the truck he used in the horrific attack and was due to return it on the night of the slaughter. Justice minister Jean-Jacques Urvoas confirmed that Bouhlel was a notorious petty criminal known to authorities for numerous crimes, and that he had a conviction for beating another motorist with a baseball bat during a road-rage incident. It is understood he had been sacked by his employers after falling asleep at the wheel and crashing into four cars, and that he had also recently been involved in a bar brawl.

AFP Family say Bouhlel ate pork, drank and never went to mosque

Reuters The terrorist lived in this apartment building in a village outside Nice

Today Walid Hamou - the cousin of his wife Hajer Khalfallah - shed further light on the life of a social outcast who apparently showed no interest in religion whatsoever. He described Bouhlel as a “nasty piece of work” and insisted the terrorist had never prayed or shown any interest in religion, let alone radical Islamist extremism. He told MailOnline: “Bouhlel was not religious. He did not go to the mosque, he did not pray, he did not observe Ramadan. He drank alcohol, ate pork and took drugs. This is all forbidden under Islam. “He was not a Muslim, he was a s***. “He beat his wife, my cousin. He was a nasty piece of work.”

Pray for Nice: The world pays tribute to victims of Bastille Day attack Mon, July 18, 2016 Gabby Logan, Simon Cowell and Justin Timberlake lead tributes to the 84 victims of the horrific terrorist attack in Nice, France on Bastille Day. Play slideshow REUTERS 1 of 37 A general view shows the crowd gathering on the Promenade des Anglais during a minute of silence on the third day of national mourning to pay tribute to victims of the truck attack in Nice

He was a nasty piece of work Bouhlel's cousin

Neighbours in the village where Bouhlel lived also shed a disturbing light on his state of mind, describing him as a “odd” loser who promised them he would be famous one day. Wissam, a fellow Tunisian, claimed: “On the Thursday night he was drinking with a colleague and they argued. His pal said you’re worth nothing and he replied ‘one day, you’ll hear about me’.” He added: “Look this is someone who drinks, smokes cannabis.” A neighbour called Hannan, who lived on the floor below, said: “He always looked at me oddly. He stared at us and we avoided him.” Another neighbour told French newspaper L’Express that he was shifty and unwillingly to make eye contact with people.

Neighbour Nassim, 33, revealed how the terrorist even used to go to nightclubs “chasing girls” during evenings out. He said: “Bouhlel used to live in this block of flats with his wife and family. I lived next door to him. “He was not a fanatical muslim. He drank alcohol, he chased girls, he went to nightclubs. He did not go to the mosque. He was not religious at all. “He split up from his wife about two years ago. She is a lovely woman.” No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but supporters of evil Islamic State (ISIS) have gone online to celebrate what they called the slaughter of “infidels”.

Bastille Day Massacre: 84 dead Sat, July 16, 2016 84 people have been killed and 100 more injured in the southern French city of Nice after a lorry was 'deliberately driven' into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in a confirmed terrorist attack. Play slideshow REUTERS 1 of 25 French President Francois Hollande giving a statement following the attack in Nice, during a national television address in Paris