Trương Dương at the court yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Văn Việt

BÌNH DƯƠNG — The People’s Court of Bình Dương Province yesterday sentenced a man to jail for 11 years on charges of “terrorist activities against the People’s Government”.

Trương Dương, a 40-year-old driver, residing in Dĩ An City, Bình Dương Province tried to contact Lisa Phạm, a member of a reactionary organisation abroad to ask for aid while he was in difficulties.

Phạm accepted Dương's request and forced him to join the organisation and had to comply with its orders, per the indictment.

On September 29, 2019, Phạm asked Dương to go to a grocery store on Thủ Dầu Một City's Võ Thành Long Street, Bình Dương to receive explosives.

At 8:40am the next day Dương put the explosives in the male toilet on the first floor of Bình Dương Tax Department and detonated them following Phạm's instructions.

The explosion led to the collapse of walls and damaged many properties and equipment, but did not cause human casualties.

Investigators tracked the clues to find and arrest Dương and also identified that the person who gave the explosives to Dương was a man named Hà Xuân Nghiêm, 57, living in Tây Ninh Province. He is currently on the run.

According to the Procuracy of Bình Dương Province, Dương was charged with “terrorist activities against the People’s Government” under Article 113, Clause 2 of 2015 Criminal Code.

The investigation agency also issued a decision to prosecute and pursue Hà Xuân Nghiêm.

Dương admitted his guilt at the court and asked for reduced punishment.

At the end of the one-day trial, the provincial People's Court sentenced Dương to 11 years in prison and to pay compensation to the Tax Department of more than VNĐ800 million (US$34,000).

Investigators also determined that the owner of a grocery shop where Dương got the explosives did not know the packages contained explosives, so there was not enough evidence to identify the shop owner as an accomplice. — VNS