Sweden's security police thwarts Islamist terror plot in Tyresö mosque raid

During a raid on a mosque in Tyresö, south of Stockholm, Sweden's security police apprehended four individuals suspected of plotting Islamist terror attacks.

The operation, which took place on Thursday afternoon, led to reports of explosions by locals. Later that evening, it was announced that those detained were being charged with terrorism-related offenses and serious violations of weapons laws.

Accusations are linked to Islamist extremism, with ongoing investigations into potential connections with major organized crime, Remix News reports.

“There are individuals where we see connections to serious crime in Sweden and also international connections to the terrorist group IS,” said Fredrik Hultgren-Friberg, press spokesperson at the police security service, Säpo.

“What I can say is that we have known about these people for a long time and have made an effort against their plans to ward off a threat,” he added, refusing to elaborate on the particulars of the case.

On Friday, SVT reported that the security services had been tracking two male suspects in their 20s for a while. One of them had a history of criminal behavior dating back to when he was 11 years old and had frequently managed to avoid capture by law enforcement.

A detailed investigation conducted by the Prison Service in 2022 found this individual mainly living in Morocco.

Police not only raided the mosque but also targeted several homes and a warehouse. At the warehouse, they confiscated numerous weapons, believed to have been gathered for use in anticipated terror attacks.

Gunnar Strömmer, the justice minister, voiced his alarm about the situation and pointed out that the operation demonstrated the increasing menace of Islamic terrorism throughout the nation.

“This confirms that we have a high terrorist threat against Sweden and that the security police work intensively and continuously to prevent and prevent this type of serious crime,” he said.

“This shows the importance of continuing to work structured and persistently to combat both terrorism and violent extremism, as well as organized crime,” he added.