A Tunisian court spokesman said Monday that 20 defendants had been sentenced to life in prison for providing logistical support and weapons for perpetrators of Ben Guerdane attack in 2016.
Verdicts were issued against 20 accused, including nine detainees who provided support and smuggled weapons to the city near the Libyan border, Spokesman for Tunisia’s judicial apparatus Sufian al-Sulaiti told German news agency.
Pro-ISIS gunmen launched an attack on security and military headquarters in Ben Guerdane on the dawn of March 7, 2016. They killed security and military elements.
The gunmen fought street battles with security forces and army soldiers, which resulted in the liquidation of more than 40 gunmen in exchange for seven civilians and 13 security and military elements.
Sulaiti said sentences against the nine detainees ranged from three to 40 years in jail while life sentences were given in absentia against 11 accused.
These provisions are preliminary, and the Public Prosecutor's Office and the accused lawyers’ may appeal against them within a period not exceeding 10 days.
Notably, the armed terrorist attack on the military barracks in Ben Guerdane took place on March 7, 2016, and intermittent clashes continued until March 9, resulting in the death of 50 terrorist elements and the arrest of seven others.
