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Stockholm court sentences Russian embassy attacker to compulsory psychological treatment

The Stockholm District Court has sentenced Leonid Karnyushin, who committed a string of violent trespassing offenses against the Russian embassy, to a mandatory treatment order and a major fine

STOCKHOLM, April 3. /TASS/. The Stockholm District Court has sentenced Leonid Karnyushin, who committed a string of violent trespassing offenses against the Russian embassy and inflicted damaged on Russia’s diplomatic property in January, to a mandatory treatment order and a major fine, a court spokesperson told TASS on Tuesday.

"The court has sentenced Karnyushin to mandatory treatment, the duration of which will be determined by doctors. He will also have to pay a fine of 106,794 Swedish kronas ($12,967)," the court spokesperson said.

Swedish prosecutors charged Karnyuhsin with three counts of maliciously breaking and entering into diplomatic premises and trespassing, two counts of inflicting damage and attempted assault on officials. Last week, the results of his forensic examination were made public, which showed that Karnyuhsin was suffering from a mental disorder.

On January 6, Karnyushin rammed his car through the barrier arm at the ambassadorial parking lot and then drove through the gate of the Russian trade mission’s garage. On January 8, he damaged the gate of the trade mission’s administrative building while driving a truck. On January 10, he broke into the embassy premises and damaged video surveillance equipment on the trade mission’s premises. Following each incident, the police would detain Karnyushin and then release him several hours later.

On January 13, he was apprehended for trespassing and inflicting damage. He pleaded guilty and said that his conduct was due to his anger at Russian diplomats who had denied him a Russian entry visa and "were behaving as if they were in Russia."

As the Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier, Swedish top diplomat Margot Wallstrom in a phone call with her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov expressed regret over the January incidents involving the Russian embassy and trade mission in Stockholm.