Stockholm attacker gets life for rampage

MAN DROVE TRUCK INTO CROWD

AN UZBEK man who drove a stolen truck into a crowd in Stockholm, killing five people and wounding 14 others, has been convicted of terror-related murder and given a life sentence.

Rakmat Akilov had said he wanted to punish Sweden for joining a coalition against Islamic State. In January, he was charged for the attack with a stolen beer truck on April 7, 2017.

Briton Chris Bevington, a 41-year-old executive at Swedish music-streaming service Spotify, was among the victims, which also included a Belgian woman and three Swedes, including an 11-year-old girl.

Judge Ragnar Palmkvist said Akilov, 40, was the only suspect in the attack, and that prosecutor Hans Ihrman called him a “security risk to society” during his trial at the Stockholm District Court.

The prosecution had demanded a life sentence, while defence lawyer Johan Eriksson said his client had been co-operative throughout the investigation and should be given a time-limited sentence.

The court sentenced Akilov to be expelled from Sweden after he serves his sentence and banned him from returning.

Akilov was born in Uzbekistan. He came to Sweden in 2014 and applied for asylum.

His application was rejected and he was ordered to leave Sweden in December 2016. Instead he went underground.