Prague court sentences Slovak man to 6.5 years in prison for preparing terrorist attack

Prague, Nov 15 (CTK) – The Prague Municipal Court sentenced Slovak man Dominik Kobulnicky, charged with preparing a terrorist attack, to 6.5 years in prison for endangering the public safety and expelled him from the Czech Republic indefinitely today.

The man is also charged with promoting terrorism of which the court found him guilty.

The verdict can be appealed.

Two years ago, the police uncovered chemical substances needed to produce explosives, instruction videos and timers in Kobulnicky’s flat in Prague. He also shared photographs and posts promoting terrorism on social media, according to the indictment.

Kobulnicky denies the charges. He says he wanted to blast the explosives within the New Year’s Eve celebration.

He faced up to 15 years in prison for planning a terrorist attack. State attorney Martin Bily proposed nine years behind bars for him.

Bily claims that the defendant prepared an attack in Prague. However, according to judge Silvie Slepickova, this was not proven.

Kobulnicky prepared fireworks with loud detonations for New Year’s Eve in the past, and it was not refuted that he had really intended to use the seized explosives for celebrations, she said. She also pointed out that Kobulnicky had bought all chemicals legally.

As the police also seized instructions for explosive making from him, it cannot be ruled out that he planned to improve in the production of amateur fireworks, she added.

Apart from planning a terrorist attack, Kobulnicky is also charged with promoting movements aimed to suppress human rights and freedoms, in particular, Islamic State and the Caucasus Emirate. He posted symbols of both organisations on his Facebook profiles and was photographed in jihadists’ outfits.

Kobulnicky pleads not guilty, saying he is a peaceable person and that the case harmed his name.

He told the court he had timers from the time he had planned a terrorist attack in Presov, east Slovakia, three years ago. But he changed his mind as he reassessed his radical views he gained from the Islamic State videos after getting more acquainted with the Islam faith, he said.