(JTA) — An Israeli citizen who threatened to commit terrorism in Sweden after his asylum request there was denied has been sentenced to two years in prison.
Amram Ivri, 43, was sent to jail and made to pay $14,080 in fines and legal fees Friday for actions he committed last month, the news site exponerat.net reported. The Stockholm District Court also handed a deportation order banning him from, re-entering Sweden until 2024 after his release.
On June 19, Ivri holed up at a local nonprofit working with refugees and threatened to blow himself up with explosives because Sweden’s Migration Board, which handles asylum applications, had denied his request. A belt he said was packed with explosives turned out to be a dummy.
“The fact that the man claimed to be part of a terrorist attack and displayed a bomb belt is particularly reckless,” Tomas Zander, a judge who oversaw the case, said.
Media reports on the sentence did not say whether Ivri — whose name means “Hebrew” in that language was Jewish or why he was seeking asylum in Sweden.
Besides threatening to blow up the offices of the Civil Rights Defenders organization, he also threatened to set off two additional bombs at the offices of two large Swedish parties: the Social Democrats and the Moderates.
During the bomb scare, police blocked large parts of Stockholm to traffic as negotiators tried to talk Ivri, who had at least one hostage inside the building, into surrendering himself. He finally left the building after five hours.
Ivri used to be a citizen of Armenia, the news site reported, though he claims that he relinquished his Armenian passport years ago in Moscow.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
