2017 Stockholm attack
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On 7 April 2017, a vehicle-ramming Islamist terrorist attack took place in central
Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, the capital of
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. A hijacked truck was deliberately driven into crowds along Drottninggatan (Queen Street) before being crashed into an
Åhléns Åhléns () is a chain of Swedish department stores. With locations in almost every city in the country, including 18 in Stockholm alone , it is the fourth largest group of fashion stores in Sweden. History Åhléns began as a mail order bus ...
department store. Five people, the youngest an 11 year old girl, were killed. 14 others were seriously injured. The perpetrator was Rakhmat Akilov, a 39-year-old rejected asylum seeker and a citizen of
Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...
, who was apprehended several hours later. He had sworn allegiance to the
Islamic State An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...
in a self-recorded video the day before the attack, and Uzbek authorities said he had allegedly joined the group. Akilov was convicted of murder and terrorist crimes, and sentenced to life in prison and, if released, deportation to Uzbekistan and lifetime expulsion from Sweden.


Attack

Akilov chose to attack during an afternoon as there were many tourists in the area. Akilov recorded a number of films in the
Odenplan Odenplan is a plaza located in the district Vasastaden in central Stockholm, Sweden. History Odenplan was named after the old Norse god Odin. Odenplan metro station, opened in 1952, and Stockholm Odenplan commuter train station on the Stockh ...
area where he is heard saying that it is time to kill "infidels" and that it grieved him how Muslims in the Levant and Afghanistan were dying. The attack took place at about 14:53 local time. It began when a truck for the
Spendrups Spendrups Bryggeri AB is a Swedish brewery founded in 1897 as Grängesbergs Bryggeri AB. The company includes the following subsidiaries Spring Wine & Spirits, Gotlands Bryggeri and Hellefors Bryggeri. Spendrups Group has approximately 900 employ ...
brewery was
hijacked Hijacking may refer to: Common usage Computing and technology * Bluejacking, the unsolicited transmission of data via Bluetooth * Brandjacking, the unauthorized use of a company's brand * Browser hijacking * Clickjacking (including ''like ...
while making a delivery on the street Adolf Fredriks kyrkogata in central Stockholm. According to a Spendrups press release, the driver attempted to stop the hijacker by standing in front of the truck, but had to jump out of the way and was slightly injured when the hijacker accelerated towards him. The hijacker then drove the truck at high speed into a pedestrian street, going about down Drottninggatan, one of Stockholm's main shopping streets, hitting pedestrians along the way. Witnesses said the hijacker attempted to target children as he zigzagged on the street. The attack ended when the truck slammed into the
Åhléns City Åhléns City is a department store in the Norrmalm district in central Stockholm, Sweden. The building is located at Klarabergsgatan 50 and takes up the entirety of the Gripen city block, block. Åhléns City is the largest singular store of the ...
department store on the corner of Drottninggatan and Mäster Samuelsgatan. The truck caught fire, but the flames were quickly doused by firefighters. The hijacker jumped out and fled the scene. A homemade bomb was reportedly found in the truck after it was abandoned by the hijacker. Police sources said the device was found in a bag and had not been detonated, adding that the attacker had been burned by it. National Police Commissioner
Dan Eliasson Dan Tore Eliasson (born 14 August 1961 in Sundsvall) is a Swedish lawyer and civil servant who is currently serving as Director-General of the Division of Crisis Preparedness, a division of the Ministry of Justice. He has previously served as ...
later said they had found a suspicious object in the driver's seat that "could be a bomb or an incendiary device", and was pending further investigation.


Aftermath


Immediate response

The
Parliament House Parliament House may refer to: Australia * Parliament House, Canberra, Parliament of Australia * Parliament House, Adelaide, Parliament of South Australia * Parliament House, Brisbane, Parliament of Queensland * Parliament House, Darwin, Parliame ...
and the metro system were locked down in response to the attack, and Stockholm Central Station was evacuated. All trains to and from Stockholm were put on hold, with traffic only resuming later in the evening. The
Swedish Prime Minister The prime minister ( sv, statsminister ; literally translating to "Minister of State") is the head of government of Sweden. The prime minister and their cabinet (the government) exercise executive authority in the Kingdom of Sweden and are sub ...
said in a press statement that the attack appeared to be
terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
, and that police and security services were treating it as such. Two days after the attack, the prime minister said the following: King
Carl XVI Gustaf Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. He ascended the throne on the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf, on 15 September 1973. He is the youngest child and only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Du ...
, on behalf of the
Royal Family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term ...
, gave their condolences, stating, "Our hearts go out to the victims of this terrible tragedy, and to their families." Swedish media reported on those who chose to help the injured, especially medical doctors working nearby who ran to help those in need. Police from all over Stockholm were called in to assist after the attack. Swedish border controls were tightened following the attack, and travelers from other countries, including Nordic countries, were advised by police to bring their passports. However, the Swedish Security Service (Säpo) did not raise the risk assessment from "level 3" (on a scale of 1 to 5), the level it had been at since 2010. On the day of the attack, Norwegian police said officers in the country's largest cities and at
Oslo Airport Oslo Airport ( no, Oslo lufthavn; ), alternatively referred to as Oslo Gardermoen Airport or simply Gardermoen, is the international airport serving Oslo, Norway, the capital and most populous city in the country. A hub for Flyr, Norse Atl ...
would be armed. The day after the attack, a man was arrested and part of the Grønland district of
Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
closed off by police after a "bomb-like" device was found, which was later destroyed in a controlled explosion. The man, a 17-year-old Russian citizen, was charged on 9 April with illegal possession of an explosive device. The man arrived with his family in Norway as an asylum seeker in 2010, and was known to the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) for having expressed support for the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...
(ISIS). With his background from the
Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...
, the 17-year-old has been linked to two other young Chechen men from the same martial arts club in the northern village Vadsø who traveled to fight for ISIS in Syria. The events led PST to raise the terror alert, indicating that attempted attacks during the coming year are "likely". Police patrols were also increased in
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
's capital
Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
.


Reactions


Domestic

On 9 April, the Swedish Prime Minister said the government intended to change immigration law to facilitate the removal of people whose applications to stay in Sweden have been rejected. On 9 April, more than forty thousand people gathered on
Sergels torg Sergels torg ("Sergel's Square") is a major public square in Stockholm, Sweden, constructed in the 1960s and named after 18th-century sculptor Johan Tobias Sergel, whose workshop was once located north of the square. Overview Sergels torg has ...
(Sergel's Square) in Stockholm to honor the victims. Many people visited the site of the attack, leaving flowers and candles for the victims on Sergels Torg and on Drottninggatan, resulting in what was described as a "sea of flowers". Flowers were also left at
Götaplatsen Götaplatsen is a public square in Gothenburg, Sweden, at the southern end of Avenyn, the city's main boulevard. The square was inaugurated when Gothenburg held a major international industrial exhibition, 1923, celebrating the city's 300th anniv ...
in Sweden's second-biggest city
Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
. After the attack, there were proposals in ''
Aftonbladet ''Aftonbladet'' (, lit. "The evening paper") is a Swedish daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden. It is one of the largest daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. History and profile The newspaper was founded by Lars Johan H ...
''—one of Sweden's biggest newspapers—that vehicles be banned from Stockholm city center so they cannot be used as weapons, citing the use of vehicles as terrorist weapons in Stockholm as well as
Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
,
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
,
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, and
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. The department store Åhléns had planned to re-open two days after the attack, but received heavy criticism after saying they would be selling smoke-damaged clothing at reduced rates. Åhléns later chose to stay closed for one more day and not to sell any damaged clothing. The Swedish
far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...
was accused of trying to profit from the attack, producing fake news and circulating fake quotations online. This included tweets and social media posts from officials of the
Sweden Democrats The Sweden Democrats ( sv , Sverigedemokraterna ; SD ) is a nationalist and right-wing populist political party in Sweden. As of 2022, it is the largest member of Sweden's right-wing governing bloc to which it provides confidence and supply, a ...
, a right-wing nationalist party. A man with a name similar to that of the main suspect was falsely implicated on the website Avpixlat. Following the attack, the
social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
website
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
was criticized for not deleting images of badly wounded or dead victims. On 11 April, a Facebook spokesman said the website had begun deleting the images. Swedish authorities started cracking down on
illegal immigrants Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwa ...
in the country after the attack. In April 2019, the municipality of Stockholm organised an event to place a wreath to commemorate the anniversary of the attack. Families of the victims were not invited and were banned from attending the event which the municipality said was "private".


International

The lights on the
Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; french: links=yes, tour Eiffel ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Locally nicknamed "'' ...
were switched off on the evening of the attack to mourn the deaths.
Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
, a city which bore witness to a similar but deadlier attack in 2016, raised the Swedish flag at half-mast the day after the attack to show solidarity with the Swedish people. In
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, where a terrorist attack took place a year earlier, the ING Marnix building near the Throne metro station was also decorated with a moving Swedish flag animation. Responses by the heads of state or foreign ministers of several European countries were issued within hours of the attack. However, discussion among US news media and officials was dominated by the American missile strike in Syria, which happened the same day.
Stéphane Dujarric Stéphane Dujarric de la Rivière (born in 1965) is the Spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. He was appointed to this position on 19 February 2014, by the previous Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon. Dujarric had prev ...
, the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General of the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
, said, "Our sympathy goes to the families of the victims and all those affected and we wish the injured a prompt recovery. The United Nations stands in solidarity with the people and Government of Sweden".
Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
also said prayers for the victims of the attack. Danish government minister
Inger Støjberg Inger Støjberg (born 16 March 1973) is a Danish politician, businesswoman and former reporter who served as a government minister in the Danish Parliament. Støjberg served as the minister for gender equality from 2009 to 2010, as minister for ...
expressed concerns that at least 12,000
illegal immigrants Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwa ...
were still living in Sweden after having their asylum applications rejected. She said that if satisfactory answers could not be given by the Swedish government, Denmark would consider implementing border checks on the Danish side of the border. The only border checks done in April 2017 were on the Swedish side. The attack is described as "driven by jihadist ideology" by Europol.


Perpetrator

Swedish police initially published pictures of a man wearing a hooded jacket, who they wanted to question over the attack. At 19:55 (17:55 UTC) on 7 April, Rakhmat Akilov (born February 14, 1978), a 39-year-old construction worker from Uzbekistan, was apprehended in Märsta, north of Stockholm, suspected, on probable cause, of " terrorist crimes through murder". The police said he had been found "behaving suspiciously with minor injuries" and was believed to have driven the truck. He was officially arrested at 01:15 on 8 April, and formally identified by the
Swedish Prosecution Authority The Swedish Prosecution Authority ( sv, Åklagarmyndigheten) is the principal agency in Sweden responsible for public prosecutions. It is a wholly independent organisation; not dependent on the courts or the police, and although it is organized un ...
on 11 April. The Swedish Security Service (Säpo) was heavily involved in the investigation. In 2016, Säpo had received some information on the suspect, but were unable to confirm it when they followed up on it. They reportedly deemed him a "marginal figure" on the fringes of extremist groups. Akilov came from a Russian-speaking family from a village outside
Samarkand fa, سمرقند , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from the top:Registan square, Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, view inside Shah-i-Zinda, ...
, currently in Uzbekistan. His older brother Olim Akilov stated in an interview with Swedish newspaper
Aftonbladet ''Aftonbladet'' (, lit. "The evening paper") is a Swedish daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden. It is one of the largest daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. History and profile The newspaper was founded by Lars Johan H ...
that they considered themselves a "typical Soviet family", and he mentions that they did not welcome the collapse of the
USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
. According to the brother, neither Rakhmat Akilov nor his children were ever religious, and Rakhmat did not attend mosque in Russia or Uzbekistan or show signs of increased religiosity. Akilov moved to Russia in 2009 to work at the same cement factory outside
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
as his older brother, which he did until 2013 when he lost this job. As stated by Akilov during police interrogation, in
Tashkent Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...
he applied for a visa to
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, after which travelled to
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
and then Gdansk, from where he took a ferry to Sweden. Akilov arrived in Sweden on 10 October 2014. He claimed asylum at the
Swedish Migration Agency The Swedish Migration Agency ( sv, Migrationsverket; previous English name: Swedish Migration Board), is a Swedish government agency, established on 1 July 1969. Its task is to evaluate and decide on applications from people who want to seek a tem ...
. The agency registered his application under the given fake name although his true identity was known and despite that according to the
Dublin Regulation The Dublin Regulation (Regulation No. 604/2013; sometimes the Dublin III Regulation; previously the Dublin II Regulation and Dublin Convention) is a European Union (EU) law that determines which EU Member State is responsible for the examina ...
his application should have been handled in Poland, as he already had a visa there. Akilov stated he needed refuge from "the Uzbek security services which he claims tortured him and accused him of terrorism and treason". However, Sweden's Migration Board ruled that there was no evidence of this, and in late 2016, Akilov was ordered to leave Sweden within four weeks. When he failed to do so voluntarily and did not appear at the Swedish Migration Agency when called, the case was referred to the police; however, he went into hiding and could not be found for deportation. Reportedly, he lived at various addresses in Stockholm suburbs and was known as a hard worker, and a "normal Muslim" who visited the mosque on Fridays but got drunk on weekends and used cannabis. Shortly before the attack, Akilov was fired from his construction job, due to using drugs and sleeping while at work on dangerous construction sites with asbestos. On 9 April, Swedish police said Akilov had "expressed sympathy for extremist organizations, among them IS slamic State."Uzbek suspect in Swedish attack sympathized with Islamic State: police"
.
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was estab ...
. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
On 14 April,
Uzbek Foreign Minister The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan ( uz, O‘zbеkistоn Respublikasi Tаshqi ishlar vazirligi) is a Cabinet-level governmental agency in Uzbekistan in charge of conducting and designing the foreign policy of Uzbekistan. History and f ...
Abdulaziz Kamilov Abdulaziz Khafizovich Kamilov ( uz, Abdulaziz Xafizovich Kamilov; russian: Абдулазиз Хафизович Камилов, Abdulaziz Khafizovich Kamilov; born November 16, 1947) is an Uzbek politician who was Uzbekistan's Minister of Forei ...
said that Akilov had joined ISIL after moving to Sweden, and had encouraged friends and family in Uzbekistan to fight for ISIL. Uzbekistan had opened an investigation and charged Akilov with participation in extremist, separatist and fundamentalist groups, as well as with making and distributing material that threatened public security. An Uzbek security source said Akilov had tried to travel to Syria in 2015 to join ISIL but was stopped at the Turkey-Syria border and sent back to Sweden. The source added that, two months before the attack, Uzbek authorities had put Akilov on a wanted list for those suspected of religious extremism. The Foreign Minister said that intelligence on Akilov had been "passed to one of our Western partners, so that the Swedish side could be informed". The Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs said it had not received such information. ISIS has not claimed responsibility for the attack, but experts note that the group tends not to do so if its members are arrested, as in the Stockholm attack. Akilov was registered at the same address as another person with links to financial crime. Initial suspicions of those involved sending money to ISIS could not be confirmed, though a number of people were convicted of false accounting and severe tax crimes. Early reports suggested Akilov had exchanged
WhatsApp WhatsApp (also called WhatsApp Messenger) is an internationally available freeware, cross-platform, centralized instant messaging (IM) and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service owned by American company Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook). It allows us ...
messages with a Chechen ISIL supporter just before and immediately after the attack. The authenticity of the chat was questioned, however. His former
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
page reportedly linked to extremists and featured at least two ISIS propaganda videos. It has also been suggested that he had liked a Facebook page called "Friends of Libya and Syria", whose aim is to expose the "terrorism of the imperialistic financial capitals" of the United States, Britain, and Arab "dictatorships". During his time in prison, Akilov had made " Hitler salutes" and
racially A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
insulted personnel, leading to an investigation for racial agitation which was later dropped as the threats and insults were directed to specific individuals and not made public. Akilov has shown aggressive tendencies in prison, which requires him to be protected by four employees, including one armed. Akilov has supported the Islamist organisation
Hizb-ut-Tahrir Hizb ut-Tahrir (Arabicحزب التحرير (Translation: Party of Liberation) is an international, political organization which describes its ideology as Islam, and its aim the re-establishment of the Islamic Khilafah (Caliphate) to resume Isl ...
on
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
. According to the prosecutor, Akilov's motive for carrying out the attack was to make the Swedish government cease its military training effort in Iraq.


Legal proceedings

The public prosecutor successfully requested Akilov be
remanded in custody Remand, also known as pre-trial detention, preventive detention, or provisional detention, is the process of detaining a person until their trial after they have been arrested and charged with an offence. A person who is on remand is held i ...
during the preliminary investigation on 10 April 2017, pending a decision on prosecution. Akilov requested a
Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
defense attorney, which was rejected by the Stockholm District Court. A pre-trial hearing was held at Stockholm District Court on 11 April, where his lawyer said he confessed to a terrorist crime and intended to plead guilty. A court-ordered psychological evaluation determined that Akilov did not suffer from any mental disorder at the time of the attack. Prosecutor Hans Ihrman indicted Akilov for terrorist crimes on 30 January 2018. Akilov was found guilty of terrorist crimes by five murders, attempted terrorist crimes by 119 counts of attempted murder and 24 counts of endangering others on 7 June 2018. He was sentenced to life in prison, and will be legally allowed to request a time-set prison sentence in 2028. If released, he would be deported to Uzbekistan and banned from returning to Sweden. Akilov was imprisoned in
Kumla Prison Kumla Prison ( sv, Anstalten Kumla) is a prison facility in Kumla Municipality, Sweden. It was opened in 1965 and is Sweden's biggest prison. Kumla is one of three high security prisons in Sweden holding risk inmates (security class 1). On March ...
, a high security facility. In August 2018, he was assaulted by a fellow inmate who wanted vengeance for Akilov's terrorist attack.


Further investigation

Several other people were briefly detained by police in connection with the attack. Police said on 13 April that they had held about 700 interrogations and made approximately 300 seizures during the preliminary investigation. Five people were detained the day after the attack in two separate raids of a car and apartment linked to Akilov, all of whom were released from police custody within two days. The next day, a second suspect with links to Akilov was arrested on a lower level of suspicion of terrorist crimes through murder. The prosecutor revoked the arrest of the suspect two days later as the suspicions had weakened. Another person was arrested for an undisclosed offense on 23 April and two days later the arrest was revoked as the person was cleared of any involvement in the attack.


Casualties

Five people died as a result of the attack. Four of the victims who were killed at the scene or died in hospital shortly thereafter were identified as British
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
executive Chris Bevington, 41, a 31-year-old Belgian psychologist, a 69-year-old Swedish woman, and Ebba Åkerlund, an 11-year-old Swedish girl. The last casualty, a 69-year-old Swedish politician from the
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...
, Marie Kide, died in hospital three weeks after the attack. In a press release on the day of the attack, the
Stockholm County Council The Stockholm Regional Council ( sv, Region Stockholm), is a regional council, a regional municipal body corresponding to the territory of Stockholm County in Sweden. Its main responsibilities are the public healthcare system and public transp ...
said that 15 people were being treated in hospitals, nine for serious injuries. Ebba Åkerlund was mentioned in the manifesto of the perpetrator of the Christchurch mosque shootings. Åkerlund's parents denounced the shootings and the use of her death as a pretext to commit terrorist attacks.


See also

*
2010 Stockholm bombings On 11 December 2010, two bombs exploded in central Stockholm, killing the bomber. Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt and the Swedish Security Service (SÄPO) described the bombings as acts of terrorism. Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly ...
*
2017 Turku stabbing The 2017 Turku attack took place on 18 August 2017 at around 16:02–16:05 (UTC+3) when 10 people were stabbed in central Turku, Southwest Finland. Two women were killed in the attack and eight people sustained injuries. Police were informed at ...
* List of terrorist incidents in April 2017 * List of vehicle-ramming attacks *
Murder (Swedish law) In Sweden, the following homicide offenses exist: * Murder ( sv, Mord) is defined as an intentional killing and is punishable with imprisonment between 10 and 18 years or life imprisonment. (3-1 § of the Penal Code) * Manslaughter () (roughly ...
*
Terrorism in Sweden Until the late 2000s, terrorism in Sweden was not seen as serious threat to the security of the state. However, there has been a rise in far right and Islamist terrorist activity in the 21st century.


Notes


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stockholm attack, 2017 2010s in Stockholm 2017 road incidents in Europe Road incidents in Sweden April 2017 crimes in Europe Attacks on supermarkets Belgian people murdered abroad British people murdered abroad Mass murder in 2017 Murders by motor vehicle Islamic terrorism in Sweden Islamic terrorist incidents in 2017 Terrorist incidents in Europe in 2017 Terrorist incidents involving vehicular attacks Vehicular rampage in Europe 2017 murders in Sweden Terrorist incidents in Sweden in the 2010s