4 men convicted in Swedish fire that killed 63 teens

STOCKHOLM - Four young men were convicted yesterday of setting a 1998 blaze at a crowded dance hall that killed 63 teenagers, the deadliest fire in modern Swedish history, but none received a prison sentence of longer than eight years.

The district court in Goteborg ruled the four defendants must have known that the fire could spread and jeopardize lives. They were convicted of aggravated arson.

Shoresh Kaveh, 19, considered to be the leader, was sentenced to eight years in prison. Housein Arsani, 19, and Mohammad Mohammadamini, 21, each received six-year sentences, while Meysam Mohammadyeh was sentenced to three years in a community home. All four are Iranian-born Swedes.

Most of the youths attending the dance were immigrants or children of immigrants.

The Oct. 29, 1998 fire started in the lower level of an emergency stairwell cluttered with chairs, then raced through a rented second-floor hall just before midnight. Panicked teens had to flee down a single, narrow staircase. Many leapt from the windows, and 200 were injured.

Relatives of some victims and survivors said the sentences were too light.

"We are ashamed of the Swedish law that permits this, and morally it has hurt us, all the families," said Asha Adnan, who lost a 17-year-old son in the fire.

Prosecutors said the defendants poured combustible liquid over chairs and added pieces of paper to the pile, then Kaveh lit the flames. The defendants said they did not recognize any danger to the crowded party upstairs.

Kaveh admitted that he set fire to a chair because he felt humiliated that he was asked to pay a $5 admission. He said he meant no harm to anyone.