Prosecutor demands prison for attack on Swedish artist


Afp July 07, 2010

STOCKHOLM: Two brothers accused of fire-bombing the home of a Swedish artist over a picture of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) should spend years in prison, the prosecutor in the case told the court Wednesday.

On the second and last day of the trial against Mentor Alija, 21, and his 19-year-old-brother Mensur, the prosecutor asked the district court in the southern town of Helsingborg to hand them prison sentences of six and four years respectively, the TT news agency reported.

The brothers' defence attorney Johan Sederholm told TT he felt the requested sentence was "very high. It is completely disconnected from (the gravity of) the act."

The brothers, who are Swedish nationals of Kosovar origin, were arrested in May when several of their personal items were found outside the artist's house after it was attacked with Molotov cocktails.

Although the fire blackened some of the house's exterior it went out on its own without causing much damage. The artist was not at home at the time.

Both brothers have denied their involvement, even though Mensur Alija reportedly suffered serious burns on the night of May 15, when the attack occurred.

He has claimed he was involved in a barbecue accident.

On the first day of trial on Tuesday, Mentor Alija also described Vilks as "Islam's greatest enemy."

The blasphemous drawing by Vilks prompted protests by Muslims in the town of Oerebro, west of Stockholm, where the newspaper is based, while Egypt, Iran and Pakistan made formal complaints.

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