In the 2016 Nice truck attack appeal trial, a 18-year sentence was affirmed.
On July 14, 2016, during France's national holiday, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a 31-year-old man from Tunisia, used a 19-ton truck to crash into a crowd on the promenade of Nice. Lahouaiej-Bouhlel drove zigzag in an attempt to kill and injure as many people as possible. Among the 86 victims were three women from Berlin, a teacher, and two of her students, who were on a school trip.
A German woman whose daughter was killed in the attack was content with the judgement: "She wanted the perpetrators to stay in prison for a long time. Now her concern is over," said Alexandra de Brossin de Mére after the verdict. However, the mother of the slain Berlin teacher reacted with dissatisfaction: "I would've wished for the highest sentence of 20 years," said Barbara Bielfeldt.
Mohamed Ghraieb and Chokri Chafroud, both aged 48 and 44 respectively, were held responsible by the judges for aiding the perpetrator in acquiring a weapon and renting the truck.
At the trial, a message sent by Chafroud to the perpetrator three months prior to the attack was read aloud. In it, Chafroud said, "Go, load the truck with 2,000 tons of iron and keep going." The prosecution believed that this message had inspired the perpetrator.
A video was also shown of Ghraieb on the promenade the morning after the attack. He said, "I was tired and wanted to see the sea."
Both defendants were present with Lahouaiej-Bouhlel in the truck before the attack occurred. However, the prosecution had previously dropped its allegation that this was a reconnaissance trip for the attack site.
Over 2,500 people had registered as co-plaintiffs in the trial. This was the first time that minors also spoke. Landy (13), who was 5 at the time, described the scene as "like a horror movie." Around 3,000 children had been present on the promenade, 700 of whom received psychological treatment following the incident. The perpetrator intentionally steered the truck towards a candy stand where a group of children were gathered.
The Islamic State (IS) later claimed responsibility for the attack, but no connection between the perpetrator and any organization could be established. Lahouaiej-Bouhlel had been fascinated with violence and preoccupied with sexual desires. He had only adopted jihadist ideology a few months beforehand.
The attack in Nice may have served as a template for the Tunisian Anis Amri's strike on the Berlin Christmas market a few months later.
Six other defendants, who had been sentenced to jail terms of two to twelve years in their initial conviction for illegal arms trafficking, declined the opportunity to appeal.
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The public prosecutor's office sought a 20-year sentence for the accomplices, but the court only imposed a 18-year sentence on Ghraieb and Chafroud. The 18-year sentence for the two defendants, Mohamed Ghraieb and Chokri Chafroud, was handed down in the 2016 Nice truck attack appeal trial. During the appeal process, Barbara Bielfeldt, the mother of the slain Berlin teacher, expressed her dissatisfaction with the sentence, wishing for the highest sentence of 20 years. The police initially believed that Ghraieb and Chafroud's meeting with Lahouaiej-Bouhlel before the attack was a reconnaissance trip for the attack site, but later dropped this allegation.
