Terrorism Trial Opens In Sweden Against Six Uzbek, Kyrgyz Men

Bakhtiyor Umarov, David Idrisson, Atabek Abdullayev (left to right)

Six Uzbek and Kyrgyz nationals living in Sweden have gone on trial in Stockholm accused of transferring funds to the extremist group Islamic State (IS).

Three of the Central Asian men are also charged with plotting an attack in the Scandinavian country.

The first day of the trial took place at the Stockholm district court's high-security chamber on January 7, with the defendants sitting behind a bulletproof-glass wall.

The suspects were identified in court documents as Uzbek nationals Akromion Ergashev, Bakhtior Umarov, Gulom Tadjiyev, Shoahmad Mahmudov, and David Idrisson. The Kyrgyz suspect was identified as Atabek Abdullayev.

Abdullayev, Idrisson, and Umarov are accused of acquiring chemicals and other equipment, including bayonets and radio headsets, with the intent of "killing and harming other people," the charge sheet read.

All six suspects, aged between 24 and 46, lived legally in Sweden. They reject all the charges against them.

The trial is scheduled to run until February 11.

A radicalized Uzbek asylum seeker, Rakhmat Akilov, in April 2017 ran down pedestrians in Stockholm with a stolen truck, killing five people. He was sentenced to life in prison in June 2018.

Based on reporting by AFP and dpa