I would be prepared to wait a while before we have identification of the mass-murderer, any accomplices, or any organization that may either have orchestrated or instigated the attack in Nice, in which the death toll may now have risen to 73 (with over 100 others wounded).

Sadly, as terrorist attacks become more routine, we have become more familiar with the maddening hesitation of governments to identify the terrorists publicly. In this instance, there is likely to be more than political correctness at play.

At the moment, we know of only one attacker, who was killed by police. Particularly if this is an ISIS or al-Qaeda attack – and, again, we don’t know that at the moment – it is likely that the attacker will have either false ID or no ID in his possession. That is their operational discipline. (There are conflicting reports about whether there was a second person in the truck.) That would mean the identification of the attacker(s) would have to be determined by prints, DNA, medical records (if any), or the like. That has become more challenging as Europe has been overrun by migrants.

Unless (a) we get something from eyewitnesses (e.g., shouts of Allahu Akbar – again, I’ve heard no such reports), (b) there is a verifiable claim of responsibility, or (c) God forbid, there is a follow-on attack, it may be some time before we know something definitive.

That said, when you’re in peacetime, the presumption of innocence applies. In wartime, i.e., our time, when our French allies have been attacked several times in recent months by jihadists; when our ruthless jihadist enemies are actively promising more attacks; and when those enemies notoriously seek to attack on days of historical importance like Bastille Day, we must operate on the assumption that this is jihadist terror until and unless convincing indications of a different kind emerge.