In Lithuania, prosecutor Tomas Uldukis proposes to sentence Ukrainian citizen Danylo Bardadym, accused of arson of an IKEA store in Vilnius, to four years in prison. This is reported by LRT.
“The prosecutor’s office proposed to impose a sentence of six years in prison on the accused for the totality of crimes. Since the case was considered in the order of summary inquiry, the final sentence proposed to the court is four years in prison,” the prosecutor told reporters after the hearing on Monday.
According to the prosecutor, such a sentence is due to the fact that the crime was committed by a minor, and the nature of the crime suggests a rather severe—above average—punishment in the form of imprisonment.
The prosecutor said that for each of the four acts, he requested to impose a punishment that is more severe than that provided for by the corresponding article.
“But since, as we see, the case was considered quite quickly, which allowed the court to conduct an abbreviated examination of the evidence in this case, the law provides for a reduction in the term of punishment by a third,” he said.
According to Uldukis, after the court’s decision, the defendant should serve his sentence in Lithuania, but this may depend on many factors.
“He is a citizen of Ukraine. Perhaps, as I mentioned in my previous statements, the investigation is also underway in Poland. So anything is possible,” the prosecutor said.
The closing arguments began at the Vilnius District Court on Monday and will continue at the next hearing on October 13, when the defendant Bardadym himself and his lawyer are due to speak.
The case of the arson of the IKEA store, which is related to terrorist activities, is being investigated under the procedure of abbreviated examination of evidence, since the defendant pleaded guilty.
He is charged with committing a terrorist act, illegal possession of explosives, acquiring special skills, and entering Lithuania and traveling to Latvia for the purpose of committing terrorist acts.
According to the case file, on May 8, 2024, an explosive device with a timer was planted inside an IKEA store in Vilnius. The explosion caused a fire and significant material damage.
Authorities claim that the attack was carried out by a terrorist group that coordinated its actions using encrypted messages on social networks. The group is suspected of having ties to Russian special services.
The prosecutor’s office believes that the act was organized and ordered by individuals associated with Russian special services.
Two Ukrainian citizens under the age of 20 are suspected of committing the attack. One of them, who was 17 at the time, is currently in custody in Lithuania. The second suspect is detained in Poland.
