Sweden attack suspect denied request for Sunni Muslim lawyer
The prime suspect in the Stockholm truck has demanded that his state-appointed lawyer be replaced with a Sunni Muslim – a request that was refused, according to official court documents.
Rakhmat Akilov, a 39-year-old Uzbek national believed to have symphathized with jihadist groups, is being held on suspicion of driving a stolen truck into pedestrians on a busy street in central Stockholm before it crashed into a department store. Four people were killed and 15 others injured.
Akilov, a construction worker who had been refused permanent residency in Sweden, was arrested several hours after the attack in Märsta, a suburb around 40 kilometres north of central Stockholm.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
In a court document seen by AFP, Akilov's state-appointed lawyer Johan Eriksson said his client had asked him to “relieve himself of his mission”, saying he “expressly wanted to be defended by a Sunni Muslim”.
Akilov had argued that “only a lawyer of this faith could assert his interests in the best way”, the statement said.
But judge Malou Lindblom dismissed the request “for lack of sufficient reasons”, in a written decision sent to AFP.
Akilov was due to appear in court at 10am on Tuesday for a magistrate to decide whether to remand him in custody.
READ ALSO: How Sweden responded to the Stockholm attack
Comments
See Also
Rakhmat Akilov, a 39-year-old Uzbek national believed to have symphathized with jihadist groups, is being held on suspicion of driving a stolen truck into pedestrians on a busy street in central Stockholm before it crashed into a department store. Four people were killed and 15 others injured.
Akilov, a construction worker who had been refused permanent residency in Sweden, was arrested several hours after the attack in Märsta, a suburb around 40 kilometres north of central Stockholm.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
In a court document seen by AFP, Akilov's state-appointed lawyer Johan Eriksson said his client had asked him to “relieve himself of his mission”, saying he “expressly wanted to be defended by a Sunni Muslim”.
Akilov had argued that “only a lawyer of this faith could assert his interests in the best way”, the statement said.
But judge Malou Lindblom dismissed the request “for lack of sufficient reasons”, in a written decision sent to AFP.
Akilov was due to appear in court at 10am on Tuesday for a magistrate to decide whether to remand him in custody.
READ ALSO: How Sweden responded to the Stockholm attack
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.