Witnesses testify on fifth day of Reykholt assault trial

The fifth day of the Reykholt case concluded at the District Court of South Iceland on Friday, with employees of Síminn and Landsbankinn, the victim’s employer and friends, and relatives of one defendant giving evidence, mbl.is reported.

The case dates back to April 2024, when a group of people attacked a foreign man of Palestinian origin and Maltese citizenship at his home in Reykholt, in Biskupstungur.

The hearing began with Ingunn Rut Sigurðardóttir confirming her guilty plea to involvement in a serious and particularly dangerous assault, deprivation of liberty and unlawful coercion.

Ingunn denied that the victim had been tied by his hands and feet while she was present, and said she had not assaulted him. She also denied using violence to force him to hand over money, but acknowledged that the funds had been taken from him unlawfully.

Employees of Síminn described how Andri Már Mortensen Birgisson brought the victim to one of the company’s shops and persuaded staff to set up electronic identification on the victim’s phone. They were reportedly told that the victim was Andri’s stepfather and had been ill.

The victim’s employer said he became suspicious when the man failed to come to work after the weekend. He found it particularly unusual to receive a text message from the victim, as they normally communicated through WhatsApp or Messenger.

The court also heard that Andri had visited the victim’s home alone shortly before the attack and tried to get him to accompany him to an ATM. The victim had discussed the visit with his employer, and they had considered reporting Andri to the police.

Two of the victim’s friends also gave evidence. Both went to his home on the Tuesday after the weekend to look for him. They said they met defendant Sigurður Gunnar Ásgeirsson, who appeared strange and unlike himself.

“I felt a certain unease,” one of the women told the court. She said she had intended to call the police, but Sigurður managed to persuade her not to.

The current partner and former girlfriend of defendant Pétur Már Mortensen Birgisson also testified. Pétur has previously said that he went to the victim’s home after the attack but did not dare intervene because he feared his brother, Andri.

Pétur’s partner said he left home after receiving a phone call that appeared to worry him. He did not say where he was going. After the weekend, Pétur deposited 100,000 Icelandic krónur into his partner’s account, saying it was repayment of a loan but not explaining where the money came from.