Book of condolence for Nice victims opens in Belfast

Belfast's Lord Mayor and deputy Lord Mayor have opened a book of condolence for those killed in last week's lorry attack in Nice, France.

DUP’s Brian Kingston and Sinn Féin’s Mary Ellen Campbell both signed the book at City Hall on Monday morning.

The new Northern Ireland Secretary of State James Brokenshire also signed the book during his first visit to the region.

A minute's silence was held before the book was officially opened. A similar book was opened at the Guildhall in Londonderry.

Belfast City Hall was lit up in the colours of the French flag on Friday evening in solidarity with the country after 84 people were killed when a man drove into crowds celebrating Bastille Day.

They were mowed down on the promenade on Thursday night where they had been watching a fireworks display. Dozens of others are still in hospital and 18 are in a life-threatening condition.

Thousands of people returned to the scene on the seafront on Monday for a minute’s silence.

The man responsible for the rampage has been named as 31-year-old Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a Tunisian who had lived in France for 10 years. He was shot dead by police.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he believed Bouhlel had been been “radicalised very quickly”, and Islamic State had manipulated an unstable individual to carry out the attack.

In Dublin, Irish President Michael D Higgins called for patience in trying to understand terrorist atrocities as he signed a book of condolence at the Mansion House which was opened to the public.

"We are in a period of time where, for a whole series of different factors, people are seizing and distorting and very often using pieces of text, often sacred texts, massively abusing these in a way that it would be absurd if it did not have such a violent outcome," he said.

"What we all have to do is take a stand for democracy, prepare for democracy."

President Higgins will meet French president Francois Hollande when he arrives in Ireland on Thursday for an official visit.