The attack
On the afternoon of April 7, 2017, a stolen delivery truck was driven along Drottninggatan, a busy pedestrian shopping street in central Stockholm. The vehicle struck people on the street before crashing into the Åhléns department store building.
Five people were killed. Swedish reporting identified the victims as three Swedes, including an 11-year-old girl, a Belgian woman and a British man. Other people were physically injured, while the criminal indictment also covered many people placed directly at risk as the truck moved through the crowded area.
Arrest and investigation
Rakhmat Akilov fled after the crash and was arrested later the same day outside Stockholm. He admitted that he had driven the truck. Investigators recovered evidence from his communications and devices and examined his statements about allegiance to the organization commonly known as Islamic State.
During the trial, Akilov said he intended the attack as retaliation for Sweden's participation in an international coalition against the group. That is his stated ideological explanation; it does not constitute a justification for violence or establish responsibility beyond the individual defendant.
The criminal charges
The prosecution charged Akilov with terrorism-related offenses built around the people killed and endangered on Drottninggatan. On June 7, 2018, Stockholm District Court found him guilty of terrorist crime through five murders, attempted terrorist crime through 119 attempted murders, and 24 counts of endangering others.
The court imposed life imprisonment and ordered deportation after the sentence, together with a permanent ban on returning to Sweden. The life sentence was the most serious criminal sanction available under Swedish law.
No appeal on the conviction
After the verdict, both the defense and prosecution announced that they would not appeal the criminal judgment. Sveriges Radio reported on June 12, 2018 that Akilov had decided not to challenge the verdict and that the chief prosecutor was satisfied with the judgment.
Later litigation addressed compensation owed to victims' relatives. In January 2019, the Svea Court of Appeal increased damages payable to the father of the 11-year-old girl killed in the attack. The court's own notice explicitly stated that the rest of Akilov's judgment had already become final.
April 7, 2017: a stolen truck is driven through pedestrians on Drottninggatan; five people are killed.
April 7, 2017: Rakhmat Akilov is arrested later the same day.
January 2018: prosecutors formally charge Akilov with terrorism-related murder, attempted murder and danger-to-the-public offenses.
June 7, 2018: Stockholm District Court convicts Akilov and sentences him to life imprisonment.
June 12, 2018: both sides confirm that they will not appeal the criminal verdict.
January 17, 2019: the Svea Court of Appeal rules on damages while noting that the remainder of the criminal judgment is final.
What is established
The identity of the driver, the five deaths and Akilov's criminal responsibility are established by a final judgment. The court also established a much broader set of attempted-murder and public-danger offenses because of the number of people placed at risk along the truck's path.
The terrorism classification rests on the court's assessment of Akilov's intent and evidence specific to him. Crime by Region does not treat his citizenship, asylum history or religious references as evidence against any wider population.
Current status
The case is fully adjudicated. Akilov's life sentence became final after neither side appealed the June 2018 criminal judgment. Crime by Region classifies the case as solved.
Sources
Archive context
This case is included in the Sweden archive. Related Swedish files include The Murder of Anna Lindh, The Malexander Murders and The Assassination of Olof Palme.