NAN-F-39
Truck
Stockholm, April 13, 2017 (dpa/NAN) The man suspected of driving a hijacked truck that killed four people in Stockholm last week was caught off guard at his arrest.
A report said on Thursday, citing one of the arresting police officers.
“He never understood what was happening.
“We quickly bundled him to the ground,” a 37-year-old female police officer, identified only as Emma said.
The suspect was identified as Rakhmat Akilov, a 39-year-old man from Uzbekistan, at a remand hearing held on Tuesday.
The police officer said that she and her colleague Alex had just started their shift on Friday evening and were waiting for a briefing on the Stockholm truck attack.
Then an alert came over the police radio that a witness claimed to have spotted the suspected assailant in Marsta, north of the capital.
The officers got into their patrol car and drove from Taby, another northern suburb to Marsta.
Emma said it felt initially like a “routine” assignment as police often conduct identity checks.
The male witness had recognised Akilov, who was on foot, from photos police released after Friday’s attack in central Stockholm.
He proceeded to follow Akilov in his car.
The witness later broke off pursuit after becoming scared and was passed by the patrol car.
The officers saw a man around one km away on the public footpath next to the road.
Emma said that she got out of the patrol car and when the man Akilov turned around he seemed surprised it was the police, the report said.
“I wrestled him to the ground and handcuffed him, “Alex quickly joined me.
“We were pretty sure we had the right person, he started to shout in a foreign language,” she said.
Both officers recognised him from the photos.
Ten minutes later, other police patrols arrived at the scene and conducted a sweep of the area.
Emma said that she and her colleague then continued on their regular shift, responding to a suspected shooting and a cardiac arrest during the night.
Only on Saturday did she begin to think: “What happened?”
“The real hero is the man who drove after him (Akilov) and made the alert.
“He deserves a medal, that was really brave,” Emma said. (dpa/NAN)
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Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole