Suspect told to leave last year

STOCKHOLM: The Uzbek man arrested in the terrorism rampage in the city’s central area last week was an asylum seeker whose application was rejected and who, in December last year, was given four weeks to leave the country, Swedish police said on Sunday.

The suspect, 39, had shown “sympathy for extremist organisations,” police said. He applied for permanent residency in 2014, and the Swedish Migration Agency denied his application in June last year, officials said.

Police tried to find him in February to execute the exit order, but he had gone underground. On Friday, the man was arrested on suspicion of driving a stolen beer delivery truck that was used to mow down a crowd of people, killing four and injuring 15 others. NYT