Stockholm terrorist Rakhmat Akilov claims he received direct instructions from the Islamic State to carry out Friday’s truck attack in the Swedish capital, which left four people dead.
Akilov pleaded guilty to “terrorist crime” when the court hearing started Tuesday. He was scheduled to be deported after getting denied residence last June.
Newspaper Aftonbladet reports Akilov said he is a member of ISIS and that he was in contact with the terror group before the attack. The attack was meant as revenge for “bombings in Syria,” an unnamed police source told the paper.
“I ran over infidels,” Akilov allegedly said in interrogations.
Authorities revealed Sunday that the man applied for residence in Sweden in 2014. His application was rejected in June 2016 and authorities ordered him to leave the country in December.
Police put out a warrant for his arrest in February, less than two months before the attack.
“He wasn’t at the address given [to authorities],” police said at a press conference. “If we don’t know where they are we can’t carry out the deportation.”
Akilov posted ISIS propaganda videos on his Facebook page and “liked” an image of helpless victims from the Boston Marathon attack in April 2013.
A friend of the suspect told Aftonbladet the man works in construction and sends his paychecks back to his family in Uzbekistan.
“He has four kids and works in construction. He never talks about politics or religion. The only thing he talks about is getting more jobs so he can send money back to his family,” the friend said.
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