The only suspect in the April 2017 attack has pleaded guilty to terrorism charges at his start of his trial. Prosecutors say he wanted to “create fear” in the population.
An Uzbek asylum seeker has pleaded guilty to charges of terrorism for a truck attack that killed five people in Stockholm last year. As the trial of the attack’s only suspect opened, defense lawyer Johan Eriksson told the court the motive of the attack “was to instigate fear and to get Sweden to end its participation in the coalition against the Islamic State (IS).”
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Hans Ihrman told the Stockholm District Court that many of the victims sustained permanent injuries such as brain damage and hearing impairments, and spoke of legs being amputated. Ihrman said he wanted the suspect, 39-year-old Rakhmat A, to be deported from Sweden after serving any sentence handed down.
Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for the accused attacker, who arrived at the court wearing a green fleece sweater.
A view of the site where the truck drove into a crowd and into a department store in Stockholm
Pre-attack planning
The charge sheet states the suspect wanted to “create fear in the population” and accuses him of planning the attack, stating he visited several locations in central Stockholm in advance of the assault. He is also charged with subjecting 150 other people to the risk of death or serious injury.
The 39-year-old suspect had previously admitted to carrying out the fatal attack and had been remanded in pre-trial detention since the incident.
For more read the full of article at The Dw
