The failed Uzbek asylum seeker who has confessed to ramming a stolen truck into a crowd in Stockholm last year killing five and injuring 14 has gone on trial.
Rakhmat Akilov appeared before the Stockholm District Court on Tuesday where he is charged with terror-related murder and attempted murder.
The prosecution has requested that he gets a life sentence and is extradited from Sweden.
Akilov has said he wanted to punish Sweden for participating in the international coalition against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.
Rakhmat Akilov has pleaded guilty to driving a stolen beer truck into shoppers in Stockholm last year, killing five people and injuring 14
Akilov is accused of terror-related murder and attempted murder. Prosecutors are asking for life imprisonment and for him to be extradited (pictured, a sketch of Akilov during his first appearance in court on Tuesday)
Akilov wore handcuffs as he entered the high-security courtroom where he was flanked by his defense lawyers.
Prosecutor Hans Ihrman described how Akilov, 39, drove a stolen beer truck into a crowd of shoppers on a busy shopping street outside an upscale department store in Stockholm’s city center on Apr. 7, 2017. Akilov was arrested hours later.
‘Yes, it was Akilov who drove the truck that day,’ his defense lawyer, Johan Eriksson, told the court.
Five people were killed – a British man, a Belgian woman and three Swedes, including an 11-year-old girl.
Briton Chris Bevington, 41, was working as a director with music streaming service Spotify and was based in Stockholm with his family when he died.
‘The case is about 40 seconds that changed forever the lives of those who were on Drottninggatan’ that day, prosecutor Hans Ihrman said.
Three interpreters were at hand during the trial, expected to end May 9. A verdict is expected before the summer.
In a room adjacent to the 90-seat court room, relatives listened quietly, some in each other’s arms.
Stockholm District Court heard that Akilov pledged his allegiance to ISIS in the months leading up to the attack and had memory cards full of extremist material
Akilov contacted ISIS to say he was willing to carry out his attack on behalf of the terror group, though it is not clear if they accepted the offer, the court heard
Inside the main court room, Akilov stared at a screen where footage from the attack – including those he made while driving the truck – were shown.
He looked at papers calmly as the prosecutor gave details about how Akilov used 53 SIM cards and social media including Whatsapp, Telegram, Viber, Facebook and Zello to communicate with others about his activities.
Akilov had said he offered to the Islamic State group to carry out an attack in Stockholm on behalf of the group.
It was not clear whether the group had accepted his offer.
Investigators have found internet chat logs with unknown people in which Akilov discussed becoming a martyr and swore allegiance to IS between Jan. 12, 2017, and the attack on Apr. 7.
The court was also shown images Akilov took from behind the wheel of the truck as he drove towards the site of his attack
They also found a memory card with ‘material that can be connected to IS,’ including execution videos and thousands of photos, including one of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The files were from 2014.
Akilov, who turns 40 Wednesday, was born in Uzbekistan where he worked as a construction worker.
He traveled to Sweden in 2014 where he had applied for asylum, claiming he had been persecuted at home.
His application was rejected and he was ordered to leave Sweden in December 2016.
Instead, he went underground, eluding authorities’ attempts to track him down. Sweden’s domestic intelligence agency has said it had nothing indicating he was planning an attack.
The attack had shocked Swedes who pride themselves on their open-door policies toward migrants and refugees, and many expressed fears that something had gone badly wrong.
In 2015, a record 163,000 asylum-seekers arrived in the country – the highest per capita rate in Europe. The government responded by tightening border controls and curtailing some immigrant rights.
Officials have acknowledged the difficulty of keeping tabs on asylum-seekers who have been ordered to leave the country after their applications were turned down.