Failed bus bomber gets 20 years sentence

Paweł R. (name withheld due to the Polish privacy laws), a 23-year-old former chemistry student was sentenced to 20 years in prison for planting a home-made bomb on a bus in Wrocław in May last year. The device, which failed to properly detonate injured a woman waiting at the bus stop. Paweł R. lawyers claimed that their client didn’t intend to hurt anyone and only instigate fear, as well as demand ransom in gold. However, the court did not agree with them, saying that his actions were planned in advance and premeditated, as he visited numerous terrorist-related websites, and constructed the pressure-cooker bomb himself. According to the prosecution, he also contacted authorities, saying that he planted four bombs throughout the city, demanding 120 kg of gold or he would detonate all of them. No other devices were found, and Paweł R. admitted to planting only one bomb. He denied that he planned to hurt anyone. Paweł R. was accused of trying to kill many people but claimed that it was never his intention.