Czech man who carried out rail attacks and blamed Islamic militants jailed for four years
Jaromir Balda cut down two trees in 2017 which fell on tracks 30 km from Prague
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An appeals court has upheld a four-year prison term for a Czech national for carrying out two attacks on trains and blaming them on Islamic militants.
Prague's regional court ruled in January that 71-year-old Jaromir Balda cut down two trees in 2017 that fell on train tracks near the city of Mlada Boleslav, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Prague.
Two passenger trains later hit the trees. Nobody was injured.
The retiree also placed pamphlets at the sites with threats of extremist attacks planned on Czech territory.
Prosecutors said the man's motivation was to incite fear of Muslims and attacks.
Balda pleaded guilty but claimed he didn't want to harm anyone. The court also ordered him to undergo psychiatric treatment. Tuesday's ruling by Prague's High Court is final.
Associated Press
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments