8 found guilty for aiding in 2016 France attack

A French court found eight defendants guilty Tuesday of aiding in the terrorist attack that killed 86 people in the Mediterranean city of Nice in 2016, after a trial that offered some closure to survivors and the bereaved but did little to clarify the motives behind the massacre.

Judges convicted the main defendants, Mohamed Ghraieb and Chokri Chafroud, of participating in a terrorist conspiracy and sentenced them to 18 years in prison. Other defendants were found guilty of less-serious crimes such as arms trafficking, with sentences ranging from 2 to 12 years in jail.

But in the absence of the perpetrator, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, who was killed by the police at the time, the vague answers of low-level accomplices provided scant further information about the attack.

The presiding judge, Laurent Raviot, said the attack had “an obvious jihadist inspiration” because of the perpetrator’s interest in radical Islam and his determination to kill as many people as possible.

Relatives of Lahouaiej Bouhlel described a man suffering from serious psychological disorders, prone to domestic violence and obsessed with sex.

His sister told the court, “I was really afraid of him, everyone was afraid of him.”

But none of the testimony uncovered the deeper motives behind his crime. Although the Islamic State claimed that Lahouaiej Bouhlel was one of its “soldiers,” Raviot said there was no evidence that he was actually linked to the terrorist group.

Lahouaiej Bouhlel’s family said that he had become interested in Islam only weeks before the attack, and investigators said that he self-radicalized within days by watching jihadi videos.

The evidence given by the defendants hardly helped to clarify the picture. They were indirect accomplices, having helped Lahouaiej Bouhlel rent the truck and buy a gun, and they apparently had little or no clue about the preparation of the attack.

Judges eventually sentenced Ghraieb and Chafroud to slightly more jail time than the prosecutors had asked for — 18 years instead of 15. Their lawyers said they would appeal.

Ramzi Kevin Arefa, who faced life imprisonment for helping the assailant buy a gun while already convicted of an unrelated crime, was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

“Justice did the right thing,” said a tearful Caroline Villani, a bereaved family member who was concerned about possible light sentences. “I’m relieved.”