Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) called for extreme measures against Muslims in the United States after a deadly terrorist attack rocked Nice, France.
“You have to monitor the mosques,” Gingrich said Thursday evening on Fox News’s “Hannity.” “Where do you think the primary source of recruitment is? We should ... test every person here who is of a Muslim background, and if they believe in Shariah, they should be deported.”
Gingrich, who is believed to be on Donald Trump‘s shortlist for vice president, said law enforcement must increase its vigilance of the nation’s Muslims to fight terrorism.
“This is the fault of Western elites who lack the guts to do what is right, to do what is necessary,” he said. “We better rethink the rules, or we’re going to lose the war.”
Dozens died Thursday when a man drove a truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day.
French President François Hollande said that 77 people were killed, and many more are believed to be injured.
The driver, who reportedly fired a gun at victims, was shot and killed by police. Authorities said that the vehicle was packed with weapons and explosives, which did not detonate.
Hollande condemned the bloodshed as terrorism during a brief press conference in the early morning local time.
“It is all of France which is under the threat of Islamic terrorism,” he said. “So in these circumstances we must show absolute vigilance and a determination without end.”
No group has yet taken responsibility for the attack, and it’s unclear if the perpetrator was part of a larger extremist network.
Hollande said France will boost its security measures and extend a state of emergency, which had gone into effect following a terrorist attack in Paris last year and which was set to expire in about two weeks, for an additional three months.