U2 legend Bono evacuated from restaurant with ‘hands over his head’ during Bastille Day terror attack
The Irish rocker was enjoying a meal at a popular celeb nightspot when the horrific mass killing broke out
ROCK star Bono was caught up in the Bastille Day massacre and had to be evacuated with his 'hands over his head' from a Nice restaurant by anti-terror police.
The U2 lead singer, 56, was on the terrace of La Petite Maison (The Small House), next to the seafront in the French city when mass murderer Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel struck.
After Bouhlel drove a hired lorry into crowds enjoying a holiday firework display, killing 84 including 10 children, Bono and other diners were gripped by fear.
"Suddenly I saw people running, without shouting," said Anne-Laure Rubi, the owner of the upmarket restaurant, which is popular with a number of celebrities. "It was a silent panic – it was extraordinary."
Ms Rubi told La Parisienne magazine that "by reflex" she grabbed the arm of Christian Estrosi, the former Nice Mayor, who was sitting close to Bono.
"What’s going on?" she said. "He was on the phone. He didn’t want to say much. I think he was just learning about the attack";.
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Ms Rubi’s staff pulled down the shutters, and instructed everybody to hide and remain calm, until the all clear was given.
Bono owns a home in the nearby town of Eze, and had been relaxing with friends when the atrocity started at around 10.30pm last Thursday.
As the slaughter on the Promenade des Anglais became clear, the star was eventually rescued by armed officers who led him to the nearby Massena square.
"It took around half an hour for the police to get us out," said another diner. "Like everybody else, Bono had to put his hands on his head, and was told to remain calm.
"The police were clearly very worried that terrorists might still be at large, and everybody was under suspicion."
There were fears at the time that the nearby Meridien hotel might be under siege, and that bombs were set to explode.
Also in the restaurant was Eric Dupont-Moretti, the lawyer of Real Madrid footballer Karim Benzema, and the restaurateur Alain Ducasse.
It is the second time that Bono has found himself close to a major terrorist attack in France.
Last November he and his band were rehearsing for a concert in Paris, when Islamic State operatives attacked the nearby Bataclan theatre, killing 89 people.
Rather than leave the French capital, the four U2 members made their way to the Bataclan the next morning, and paid homage to the deceased.
IRA and Irish unionist terrorism is a constant theme in the music of Bono, who as a boy was a first hand witness to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings which killed 33 in 1974.
Eerily, just hours before the Bastille Day attack, U2 had posted a picture on their website showing trees against an orange sky, with the caption ‘Storm Over France, July 14’. It has since been removed.
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