The suspected perpetrator, a man from Afghanistan, is crying in court before the trial has begun.
When the technical details are reviewed by the chairman of the court, the man looks scared and lost.
He has a piece of paper in his hand with which he wipes his tears.
The first to testify on Monday is the third person to be attacked in the Vetlanda center on March 3.
The man gives a detailed account of what happened to the attack itself.
Allahu shouted akbar
- Then I hear that he roars Allahu akbar.
I get my bag up in pure reflex, I think it's a nightmare.
But I realize that it is serious, says the man in the district court.
The term Allahu akbar, "God is great", is a common phrase used by Muslims.
The phrase is used daily in the prayer euphoria from mosques.
Early in the investigation, the police suspected that it could be a terrorist crime.
The very next day, the suspicions were dismissed.
Kicks him
The man who testified is convinced that the food bag that partially blocked the attack saved his life.
- I kick him so that he drops the knife, he bends down, we have eye contact.
I roar, whereupon he disappears.
I look down at the ground and see a pool of blood, he says.
The suspected perpetrator looks at him during the interrogation of witnesses, but occasionally he looks down at the table.
- I think daily that I could have died on the spot.
I am more prepared now and avoid large crowds, says the knife-wielding man who is convinced that it is the perpetrator sitting opposite him in the courtroom.
- His intention was to kill me, he says.
On Friday, the first victim, Bo Martinsson, testified in the district court.
Hear his story below:
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In the clip, you hear Bo Martinsson tell about when he was severely stabbed and what it is like to now see the suspected perpetrator on the spot in the district court.
Photo: SVT / Fredrik Weibull / Kristin Renulf