Stockholm truck attack suspect was not mentally ill: Forensic board

The stolen truck, which was driven through a crowd outside a department in Stockholm on April 7, 2017, is towed on April 8, 2017.
A massive manhunt was underway for the driver of the stolen truck that ploughed into the crowd, killing four and injuring 15, Swedish police said.
PHOTO: AFP

STOCKHOLM (REUTERS)- Rakhmat Akilov, the man suspected of ramming a truck into a crowd and killing five people in early April, was not suffering from a serious mental disorder at the time, according to the National Board of Forensic Medicine.

The examining physician also concluded that Akilov, who has admitted driving the truck, did not need to be assessed to see whether he should be held in prison or in a secure psychiatric unit, a document seen by Reuters showed.

Akilov is currently being held in police custody. He was examined by the National Board of Forensic Medicine at the request of the Stockholm District Court.

The type of evaluation he underwent was intended to provide a guide for the court, which could still order a more extensive psychiatric examination to determine where he should be held.

On Wednesday (May 10), the prosecutor in the case asked the court for more time to bring charges against Akilov. "Substantial investigative matters remain, such as further interviews, analyses, surveys and technical investigations, before the investigation can be completed," says Hans Ihrman at the National Security Unit.

Swedish police said soon after the attack that it could take up to a year to complete a preliminary investigation into the attack.

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