STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – A Swedish prosecutor on Monday named a suspect who murdered a woman and planned to kill a prominent politician in July as a “terrorist crime by murder” and “terrorism by preparation of a murder”. He was charged with “preparing for a crime”.
In Visby on the Baltic island of Gotland, a woman was stabbed to death in a crowded square during Almedalen Week, the annual Swedish political festival, also known as Politicians Week in Visby. A 33-year-old woman was later arrested at the scene. .
The woman, a prominent expert in Swedish psychiatry, was stabbed near where Center Party leader Annie Loof was to hold a press conference.
Although initially not publicly identified as the intended victim of the case, Loof was appointed attorney for the plaintiffs in August.
Prosecutor Henrik Olin confirmed at a news conference on Tuesday after pressing for indictment that Roof was the intended victim on the charge of “preparing a terrorist crime by preparing a murder.”
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“His view of suspected terrorist crimes by murder, and preparation of terrorist crimes by preparation of murder, is that he is prepared to take responsibility for these crimes,” Olin said.
A lawyer for the accused man was not immediately available for comment.
Loof, who stepped down as party leader in September, said on Facebook on Tuesday that being the subject of ongoing legal proceedings is deeply affecting her and her family.
“It’s surprising and almost unrealistic to hear about the motives and preparations of the perpetrators,” she said. We hope it will be a real eye-opener for
Olin said Tuesday that an investigation found the man was planning to attack other people, including journalists and politicians, but prosecutors said the 33-year-old was only to attack Roof. I was able to show that I was preparing for
“He scouted the facility during Almedalen, assembled her program during Almedalen week, and made several visits to the places she was scheduled to visit,” Olin said.
He said the accused, who had a history of mental illness, had an aversion to Swedish psychiatry.
The trial will start on November 8th.
(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom, Editing by Bernadette Baum)
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