French Court Convicts All 8 Suspects Involved in 'Nice Truck Terror Attack'

86 People Gathered at a Resort Killed on France's 2016 Revolution Day
19t Truck Zigzagged About 2km on Sidewalk...Shot Dead at the Scene
No Direct Link Found to Terror Group IS

Authorities are investigating the truck that took 86 lives in the French resort city of Nice on July 14, 2016. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Sung-wook] All eight suspects involved in the 'Nice Truck Terror Attack,' which killed 86 people gathered at a resort on France's national holiday, have been found guilty. This comes six years after the incident.

According to the AP news agency on the 13th (local time), seven men and one woman who were known to have assisted the perpetrator in the 2016 terror attack in the southern resort city of Nice?where a 19-ton truck was driven into a crowd, killing 86 people?were found guilty. Earlier, prosecutors reportedly sought sentences of up to life imprisonment depending on the severity of their crimes. Claude Reinhardt, the lawyer representing the victims' families, stated before the trial, "Clarifying the actions of the terrorists and announcing the verdict will serve as a tool to prevent terrorism."

The court sentenced Mohamed Graib (47) and Chokri Shafroud (43), who were reportedly involved in helping rent the truck used in the attack, to the heaviest prison term of 18 years. They were closely connected to the perpetrator, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, who was the truck driver at the time, and were said to have once been involved in the terrorist organization. However, since there was no evidence of their direct participation in the terror attack or conspiracy with the perpetrator, some received only two-year sentences.

Bouhlel, originally from Tunisia, drove the 19-ton truck at full speed into the crowd on the evening of July 14, 2016, at around 10:30 PM. That day was Bastille Day, France's national holiday, and approximately 30,000 locals and tourists had gathered at the Nice seaside to watch fireworks. After the fireworks ended, Bouhlel zigzagged through about 2 kilometers of the crowded promenade for 4 minutes and 17 seconds. The attack resulted in 86 deaths, including 15 minors and 33 foreigners, and over 400 injuries. Bouhlel was shot and killed by military police present at the scene.

At the time, France was still recovering from the aftermath of simultaneous terror attacks carried out by Islamic State (IS) sympathizers on November 30, 2015, targeting theaters, restaurants, and stadiums in Paris. Authorities at the Nice site were conducting vehicle inspections as part of heightened terror alert measures, but Bouhlel reportedly gained entry by claiming he needed to enter quickly to deliver ice cream.

Additionally, since IS's top commander Abu Omar al-Shishani was killed in a U.S. airstrike in March of the same year, there was speculation that Bouhlel might have been an IS sympathizer. After the incident, IS claimed that revenge had been carried out, and the terrorist group 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' issued a statement claiming responsibility. However, French authorities' investigations found no direct connection between Bouhlel and IS.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.