Lindh died Sept. 11, a day after Mijailo Mijailovic, 25, attacked her while she was shopping, repeatedly stabbing her in the stomach, chest and arms.

Brushing aside any lingering doubts about Mijailovic's intentions during the fatal attack, the Stockholm District Court said there was no doubt that he meant to kill the popular politician.

"He used a life-threatening weapon. He held the knife with both hands when he delivered the stabs . . . the force was powerful. The location and the size of the stab wounds indicates that the intention was to kill," the court said in a statement.

Mijailovic confessed to the crime in January, claiming he had heard voices in his head that told him to stab Lindh, but this explanation should be disregarded, the court ruled.

Her death caused shock among Swedes who expected her to one day lead the country as prime minister, and brought back painful memories of the unsolved 1986 killing of Prime Minister Olof Palme.

The Japan Times Weekly: April 3, 2004
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