A French court found and jailed seven men and one woman for their roles in the 2016 Nice truck rampage terror attack, which occurred on a two-kilometer (1.2-mile) route. 86 people lost their life in the horrifying catastrophe that happened on Nice’s coastal boulevard. At the time of the terrorist assault, families were commemorating Bastille Day, which is a national holiday in France.
Police shot and killed the attacker, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, right there and then.
Mohamed Gharaieb, the primary defendant, was found guilty of affiliation with a terrorist group by the Paris court. He was close with Bouhlel. Gharaieb received an 18-year prison term.
Chokri Chafroud and Ramzi Arefa, two other high-profile defendants, were also found guilty. They had been accused of helping Bouhlel to collect weapons and the truck. They were handed jail sentences of 18 and 12 years respectively.
Five other people were handed sentences of two to eight years. None of the defendants was accused of taking part in the attack or even of complicity – a decision which survivors said they were struggling with.
Islamic State claimed responsibility a few days after the Nice rampage but offered no proof that the attacker, who had a record of domestic violence and petty crime, had had any direct contact with the group.
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