A friend who was shopping with Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh when she was stabbed to death told a court today that her killer did not say a word when he launched his frenzied attack in a Stockholm department store.
Giving evidence at the murder trial of Mr Mijailo Mijailovic, Ms Eva Franchell said she and Ms Lindh were walking in the shop when she saw someone rush toward them.
"He ran - rushed rather - at high speed directly at Anna," she said. "He pressed her against the clothing rack. It almost looked perverse the way he was pushing against her."
Ms Franchell said she looked at Ms Lindh, who sunk to the floor.
Mr Mijailovic, a 25-year-old Swede of Serbian origin, told judges yesterday that voices in his head told him to attack Ms Lindh.
After evidence from the coroner who conducted Ms Lindh's autopsy, prosecutors and defence lawyers are expected to present their closing arguments on Mr Mijailovic's motive in the September attack on the 46-year-old minister that plunged the Scandinavian country into shock and mourning.
Mijailovic said yesterday he never meant to kill Lindh, but voices in his head urged him to stab her.
"It happened so quickly. I took out the knife, then I attacked her. I don't know how many times I stabbed," he said.
His lawyer, Peter Althin, called for the murder charge to be dropped in favour of manslaughter, saying Mr Mijailovic acted on impulse.
Prosecutors hoping to bolster their case against Mr Mijailovic tried to get more details about the stabbing from the 25-year-old today but he refused to answer their questions.
AP