Terrorist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel asked for the ‘biggest truck possible’ when hiring the vehicle he used to mow down 84 people in Nice, it has emerged.
The manager of Via Location, where Bouhlel rented the 19-tonne vehicle, told the MailOnline of her shock that the lorry was used as a weapon of mass murder.
‘The terrorist demanded the biggest vehicle we have,’ she said.
‘We only rent out lorries here, not weapons, not Kalashnikovs. We are all very shocked. We all live in Nice and are thinking of the families.’
Islamic State has since claimed responsibility for the attack that killed 84 people, including a dozen children, and left more than 200 injured.
Bouhlel is believed to have used his credit card and driving licence to collect the vehicle on Monday from Saint-Laurent-du-Var, which is around 30 minutes west of Nice.
His identification papers were found in the vehicle after police had shot him dead halting the massacre which had lasted for around two kilometres.
The attacker was supposed to return the truck on Wednesday, more than 24 hours before he drove it through the crowd which had gathered for Bastille Day.
The killer had left the lorry inside the cordon marked off for the Bastille Day attack and had told police he was delivering ice cream.
Camera footage showed his return to the vehicle at 9.04pm that evening by bicycle, which he threw in the back of the lorry.
At around 10.45pm he drove towards pedestrians with his headlights off, zig-zagging for maximum damage.
He stopped around two-kilometres down the road when his truck was blocked by an obstruction, and was shot by police.
