Vincent Loquès
Died 29 October 2020
Who they were
Vincent had been sacristan of the Basilica of Notre-Dame in Nice since 2013 and would have turned 55 the next day. He came from the mountain village of Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée and had first worked as a builder. He was the father of two daughters. Parishioners remembered him as always smiling; he helped homeless people and handed out food. "This church was his living room," one parishioner said. He was preparing for All Saints' Day and his annual nativity scene.
What happened
On the morning of Thursday 29 October 2020, a man armed with a knife entered the Basilica of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption in Nice and killed three people. He was shot and arrested by police at the scene. In February 2025 a special court in Paris sentenced him to life imprisonment without parole; he has appealed, with the appeal trial set for December 2026.
Verdict / confirmation
Cour d'assises spéciale de Paris, 26 Feb 2025: life without parole (perpétuité incompressible) for 3 terrorist murders + 7 attempted. Appealed – appeal trial scheduled 7–18 Dec 2026 (BFMTV).
Status: Appealed – appeal trial scheduled 7–18 Dec 2026 (BFMTV)
Perpetrator: A 21-year-old Tunisian national who arrived irregularly via Lampedusa in Sept 2020 and reached France weeks before the attack (franceinfo, Le Parisien). Islamist terrorist attack.