Two Swedish citizens have been convicted and sentenced to just four and five years for the bombing of a tax office in Copenhagen last year.
The two men, aged 23 and 24, are said to be childhood friends and transported the bomb that was used in the attack across the Öresund Bridge that connects Denmark to Sweden — but, despite prosecutor efforts, neither were convicted for terrorism.
The two men were, instead, convicted for carrying the bomb to the tax office and setting off the explosion. Prosecutor Andreas Christensen had previously stated that the attack should be covered under the Convention for Combating Terror Bombings.
“In determining the punishment, the court has taken into account that one of the two defendants, the one who placed and detonated the bomb, played an active role, while the other defendant acted as driver,” the court stated, DR reports.
Both men stated that they were innocent of the crime but offered different stories as to why they were in Copenhagen that day. One claimed to be buying hashish from the Christiania area, an anarchist commune where drugs are often sold, while the other claimed the pair drove to Copenhagen for food.
Investigators and prosecutors are still unsure of the actual motive behind the bombing, with Prosecutor Christensen stating that the pair may have been hired by a third party.
Sweden saw a surge in bombing attacks of various scales over the course of 2019, most directed at residential buildings. The majority are believed to be connected to gang crime.
In 2019 alone, Sweden saw at least 257 explosions and bombings, according to figures released by the Swedish Crime Prevention Council (Bra). Just seven people were taken to court and convicted.
“The technical evidence is difficult when it is blown up. Most of it is blown away in connection with the detonation. Often, someone may order this job based on a conflict that exists. A bomb builder will build the bomb and someone else will then carry it out,” said Marie Borgh, who is the head of national bomb protection.