All defendants convicted in Nice truck attack terror trial

A French court found eight suspects in the 2016 truck rampage in Southern France's Nice were guilty of crimes connected to the rampage, in which 86 people died. 

The driver was shot dead by police on the scene after causing chaos and devastation on Nice's seaside promenade. The attack occurred on the 14th July, which is celebrated as Bastille Day in France, with crowds gathering on the boulevard to commemorate. 

The main defendant, a friend of the driver, was found guilty of belonging to a terrorist organization and was handed an 18-year prison sentence. 

Two other defendants were found guilty of assisting the driver in obtaining weapons and the truck used for the attack. They were handed jail sentences of 18 and 12 years respectively. 

The other five suspects were handed sentences ranging from two to eight years. In total, seven men and one woman were sentenced.

The verdict can be appealed.

Survivors criticized that the defendants were not accused of partaking in the attack or of direct complicity. 

Three of the defendants were charged with membership of a terrorist group, the other five with common law offenses such as defying gun laws.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility a few days after the attack, but no evidence was found of the attacker having been in contact with the group. 

The court case on the November 2015 terror attacks in Paris came to an end earlier this year. All 20 defendants were convicted for their roles in the attack in 2015. 

Both court cases were recorded to be archived as two of France's historical verdicts. 

los/msh (AFP, dpa, Reuters)