The attack
On the evening of July 14, 2016, crowds gathered on Nice's Promenade des Anglais for Bastille Day celebrations. Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel drove a heavy vehicle into the crowd, killing 86 people and injuring hundreds before he was shot dead by police.
Because the direct attacker died at the scene, the later criminal proceedings focused on people accused of having assisted him or participated in related criminal activity. The legal responsibility of those defendants was not identical, and this case file does not treat every person prosecuted as a co-author of the killings.
The 2022 special assize trial
A special assize court in Paris tried eight defendants in 2022. The court convicted all eight of offenses connected to the case, with sentences ranging from two to 18 years.
Mohamed Ghraieb and Chokri Chafroud received the heaviest sentences, 18 years each, for terrorist criminal association. Other defendants were convicted of different offenses, including ordinary criminal association and weapons-related conduct. Those distinctions matter: the trial did not simply label all eight defendants as the people who directly carried out the mass killing.
Appeal proceedings
Ghraieb and Chafroud appealed. On June 13, 2024, the specially composed Paris assize court of appeal again sentenced each man to 18 years in prison, this time with a two-thirds security period.
Both defendants then announced cassation appeals. At that point, their convictions were not yet final, so older versions of reporting correctly described the process as continuing.
Final rulings in 2026
On February 11, 2026, France's Court of Cassation rejected the remaining appeals by Ghraieb and Chafroud. Their 18-year sentences therefore became definitive. Contemporary French reporting described the ruling as ending the prospect of a third criminal trial for the two men.
The finality of those convictions does not mean that every historical question about the attack was judicially resolved. It does mean the criminal liability of the surviving defendants who exhausted or did not pursue further appeals can now be described according to their final judgments.
Timeline
July 14, 2016: the attack on the Promenade des Anglais kills 86 people.
September–December 2022: the special assize trial in Paris hears the case against eight surviving defendants.
December 13, 2022: the court convicts all eight, imposing sentences from two to 18 years.
June 13, 2024: Ghraieb and Chafroud are again sentenced to 18 years on appeal, with a two-thirds security period.
February 11, 2026: the Court of Cassation rejects their remaining appeals and makes the sentences definitive.
Current status
The case is classified as Solved / Extensively Adjudicated. The direct attacker was identified and died at the scene. Surviving associates were prosecuted according to their individual roles, and the last two major appeal convictions became final in February 2026.