Andri received more than 9 million kroner from victim’s account

Andri Már Mortensen Birgisson received more than 9 million Icelandic krónur from the bank account of a Palestinian man with Maltese citizenship, according to mbl.is. The details emerged during the main proceedings in the Reykholt case at the South Iceland District Court on Monday.

The case concerns an alleged attack in April 2024 on the man, who was in his sixties, at his home in Reykholt in Biskupstungur. Six Icelanders are charged with taking part in an especially dangerous and serious assault. Nearly 18 million krónur were transferred from the victim’s account.

A police officer who conducted a financial analysis of the case said that 17.66 million krónur had been distributed. Andri Már received about 8.5 million, Pétur Már Mortensen Birgisson about 3.7 million, and about 3.5 million was transferred to Ingunn Rut Sigurðardóttir’s account. Sigurður Gunnar Ásgeirsson received nearly 2 million.

Sigurður later transferred 600,000 krónur to Andri and 100,000 krónur to Ingunn.

A police officer involved in the investigation also described DNA testing of, among other items, knuckle-dusters and tape. A large amount of DNA was found on the knuckle-dusters, but the sample was too complex to determine which individuals it belonged to. Samples from Sigurður, Andri and Ingunn could not be matched to the DNA on the weapon.

Blood found on the tape was matched to the victim. Hair was also found on the tape, but DNA testing produced no result.

A Maltese police officer who dealt with the case after the victim arrived in Malta told the court that the man had been admitted to hospital in the early hours of April 24, 2024, after being attacked in Iceland. The victim had difficulty speaking but managed to say that his landlord, the landlord’s daughter and his son-in-law had held him captive for three days.

A psychologist who met the victim three times described his condition after the incident as very difficult. He was constantly afraid, had trouble sleeping and eating, and found it difficult to trust people. He was also confused and deeply concerned about his life.

The psychologist said the victim was experiencing active trauma symptoms. Post-traumatic stress disorder could not be diagnosed so soon after the events, but the experience was very likely to affect him in the long term.

A dentist who examined the victim on May 10, 2024, also testified about his injuries. The examination found a broken jaw and swelling, as well as broken teeth.