Stockholm terror suspect initially targeted Denmark

Islamic State convinced Rakhmat Akilov to launch deadly truck attack in Sweden

On April 7 last year, five people were killed when the Uzbek asylum-seeker Rakhmat Akilov drove a truck through Stockholm.

But actually, his attack could easily have taken place in Denmark. Initially he had planned to launch a bomb attack in Denmark.

According to the Swedish newspaper Expressen, Akilov told police he wanted to detonate a bomb in front of a NATO building in Denmark, but was later convinced by the terror organisation Islamic State (IS) to stage his attack in Sweden instead.

READ MORE: PET: Terror threat in Denmark still serious

Hijacked truck
Akilov’s statements stem from documents made public yesterday in connection with the Uzbek national being charged with terror and attempted terror.

Akilov hijacked a truck from a brewery and drove it down the busy Drottninggatan pedestrian street, swerving to hit his victims. Aside from the five who were killed, a further 15 were injured.

At the time of the attack, 39-year-old Akilov was in Sweden as a rejected asylum-seeker.

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