Stockholm terrorist attacker gets life sentence
An Uzbek man who drove a stolen truck into a crowd in Stockholm, killing five people and wounding 14 others, has been convicted of terrorism-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 with terrorism-related murder and attempted murder for the attack with a stolen beer truck on 7 April, 2017.
Briton Chris Bevington, 41, an 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 should be given a timelimited sentence.