86 people were killed in the 2016 attack on the seafront in Nice. Seven men and one woman have now been convicted.
Police officers walk past graffiti commemorating the victims of the terrorist attack.
(dpa) There was applause in the courtroom when the presiding judge announced eighteen years in prison for one of the accused in the trial of the terrorist attack in Nice, which was probably motivated by Islamism and killed 86 people. The court in Paris on Tuesday evening convicted him of membership in a terrorist organization, as well as another of the eight accused who are considered to be henchmen and supporters. Both would have supported and inspired the assassin morally and materially.
Six and a half years ago, the Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel drove a heavy truck into a crowd on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. He also shot people. Ultimately, there were 86 fatalities. More than 200 people were injured in the attack on July 14, 2016, the French national holiday. The perpetrator was shot dead after the crime.
The accused sympathized with IS
The terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the crime. According to the court, this alleged confession was opportunistic despite the perpetrator’s interest in jihadism. A connection to a terrorist organization was not found, but a clear inspiration from jihadism.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, the two defendants, who were sentenced to eighteen years in prison, knew about the attitude of the man and that he was capable of committing an attack. They are said to have been involved in the search for a weapon.
The court also sentenced the man who got the gun used in the attack to 12 years in prison. The other five accused in the process, who were also involved in the procurement of the pistol or another weapon according to the verdict, are said to be in prison for between two and eight years. The defendants can still appeal the court’s decision.
The penalties are unexpectedly high
It is possible that some of the bereaved and survivors had hoped for even higher penalties. But the public prosecutor’s office had already made it clear that none of the eight suspects could be convicted as if he were the assassin. The penalties imposed by the court for membership in a terrorist organization now even go beyond what the public prosecutor’s office had demanded.
For the lawyer Alexandra de Brossin de Méré, it is an overall judgment that one can live with, as she told the DPA. “For the civil parties and the families of the victims, this is a nice signal that the judiciary has dealt with it with so much seriousness and has done what it could do in such a difficult situation.”
From September, the special court in Paris opened up about the attack in Nice. The trial also dealt in detail with the attack plans and the attitude of the assassin. Presiding judge Laurent Raviot said the perpetrator chose his actions to spread terror. He struck at a place that was always full and at a festival that celebrated the republic and its values. The attack also caused national trauma.
Victims and relatives are hoping for a second trial
More than 2000 relatives and victims acted as joint plaintiffs. For several weeks, they reported in court about their memories of the attack and the traces that the act of terrorism left on them. The fact that the public prosecutor’s office admitted to official errors and apologized for them may have exceeded the expectations of many survivors and those left behind. The verdict now marks an important step for them.
Nevertheless, numerous victims hope that the legal work-up is not over. Because the question of security precautions in Nice was only marginally dealt with in the Paris proceedings. Investigations are still ongoing in the Mediterranean city, and numerous victims are hoping for a second trial.