This is a podcast about some of the most spectacular terrorist attacks in history. In this podcast, I tell the stories of the terrorists, their victims and the consequences for the survivors and society. About people who will sacrifice their own lives or the lives of others for a political, economic, religious or social goal. Who was behind it, who did they want to hit, and why. My name is Natasja, and I am a journalist with a Master's in Middle Eastern Studies. Unfortunately, I have experienced terror in my life several times. The massacre in Utøya in Norway happened half an hour's drive from where some of my immediate family lives. A good friend of mine was only a meter away from one of the suicide bombers on the London Underground in 2005. He miraculously escaped with two burst eardrums. Finally, I worked in Afghanistan some time ago, where a major terrorist attack on a local cafe claimed the lives of 21 people. Among other things, the owner, who had served me a layer cake on my birthday the year before. Fortunately, I have never been in the middle of a terrorist attack myself...
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episode 2: Terror in the South French paradise
Every year, on the 14th of July, thousands of people pour into the streets of France. France's National Day, also called Bastille Day, is celebrated here. It is considered the starting point for the French Revolution, which started on the 14th of July 1789 and has been celebrated every year since. The day is celebrated all over France, and in the warm South of France, the day can be spiced up with a swim, cocktail and magnificent sunset on the beautiful beaches along the Mediterranean coast. Nice, France's fifth largest city, was often a gateway for residents and tourists who wanted to experience this special and festive French day.
Bastille Day on the 14th of July 2016, began no different from the usual celebrations. The day was full of parades and happy people, but it was usually the evening when the party unfolded. After a delicious meal and French red wine, those present had witnessed a fantastic fireworks display. Many were now strolling around the promenade along the water. Small children slept in their prams, couples held hands, and everyone soaked up the last party atmosphere and happy voices as darkness slowly fell.
But the safe, happy voices were soon to be replaced by screams of terror and pain. Both the kind that signals physical pain but also the kind that signals pain from people who have lost the most precious thing in their lives. At a little over half past ten on the evening of the 14th of July 2016, a 19-ton truck drove full force into the crowd on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, killing 86 people and injuring 450.
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