French police ask Nice to destroy CCTV images of attack

Paris: French police have asked authorities in the city of Nice to destroy CCTV footage that captured last week`s truck attack that killed 84 people.

In the request seen by AFP on Friday, the anti-terror police in Paris ask Nice to "proceed with the complete destruction of footage from all cameras used on the Promenade des Anglais," where the carnage took place on July 14.

Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel rammed a 19-tonne truck into a crowd along the promenade after a Bastille Day fireworks display. He was subsequently shot dead by police.

The request, dated July 20, concerns "all copies of footage of the crime scene created outside of the investigation".

A source in the Paris prosecutor`s office, which is leading the investigation into the attack, told AFP the police aimed to prevent dissemination of the "profoundly shocking" images.

"These images are sealed evidence (to be used only) for the purposes of the investigation," the source added.

A lawyer for the city of Nice, which is run by the opposition Republicans party, said the request was problematic because it involved tampering with evidence.

Lawyer Philippe Blanchetier said the images would normally be automatically deleted after 10 days.