23-year-old Swede Alexander Holmberg is sentenced to eight years in prison, of which six years are conditional, suspected of planning to carry out a terrorist attack against Eurovision 2020. This was stated by a local court in Luxembourg in a press release.

Holmberg was born in Sweden, but raised and residing in Luxembourg. In February 2020, when he was 18 years old, he was arrested in Strassen, Luxembourg.

The security service had suspicions about the 18-year-old, and during an anti-terror operation, explosives were found at his home.

Suspicion: Planned to attack Eurovision

Investigators also found a document outlining a planned attack against Eurovision in Rotterdam, Netherlands, more than 40 miles away. The international song contest was scheduled to take place in May 2020 but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The document describes plans to attack the song contest with cyanide, ricin, explosives, or chlorine gas. According to the verdict, there were also plans for attacks in Sweden, including on the electricity infrastructure and an airline.

Authorities did not disclose the suspicions against the now 23-year-old Swede until last summer. The Luxembourg District Court now writes in a press release that Alexander Holmberg has been accused of being a “member of terrorist groups following white power ideology”.

According to the Swedish Security Service, he has been a member of “The Base,” a U.S.-based neo-Nazi group, and “The Green Brigade,” an eco-fascist environmental radical group.

Convicted for attack on mink farm

In October 2019, Alexander Holmberg and an accomplice entered a mink farm in Blekinge. There, they cut power cables, punctured tires on a trailer, and set fire to an economic building, which was completely destroyed.

In police interrogations, Holmberg admitted to vandalizing the mink farm. He and his accomplice had traveled from Nacka, where they were living at the time, to Blekinge to carry out the attack. They camped in a nearby nature reserve during the incident.

The idea for the attack arose after Alexander Holmberg watched a documentary about mink farms. He searched on Google maps and found the mink farm in Blekinge.

Both young attackers were later convicted of less serious arson. They were both given suspended sentences. Alexander Holmberg was also fined.

Sentenced to prison

Now Alexander Holmberg is again sentenced for crimes; this time for participating in and leading a terrorist organization, incitement to terrorism, recruitment for terrorism, training and preparation for terrorism, violation of the weapons act, violation of the explosives act, violation of the hazardous goods act, and incitement to hatred.

The penalty is eight years in prison, of which six years are conditional. Thus, the 23-year-old only needs to serve two years in prison if he agrees to participate in a five-year long “deradicalization program”.

The court notes that the convicted was a minor when most of the crimes were committed.