Germany: Two Afghans Arrested for Planning to Attack Swedish Parliament

Today, German federal police arrested two Afghans in the eastern German town of Gera for planning to carry out an attack against the Swedish Parliament on behalf of ISIS. This was to be in retaliation for the Koran burnings in Sweden that were carried out last  summer

This article from the Sueddeutsche Zeitung (Munich) is translated by Fousesquawk.

Thuringia

Two terror suspects arrested in Gera

19 March 2024 at 14:37

Caption: The Federal Prosecutor’s Office in Karlsruhe is responsible for investigating terrorism cases.

The two men from Afghanistan allegedly planned an attack not far from the Swedish Parliament, according to the accusation by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office.

By Nadja Lissok and Alex Ruele

On Tuesday, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office had two alleged Islamists arrested in Gera (Thuringia) for suspicion of terrorism. The two men are accused of planning an attack near the Swedish Parliament with firearms, a spokeswoman in Karlsruhe reported.

The attack would be a reaction to the Koran burnings in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries last summer. The two Afghans reportedly received directions from an affiliate of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the prosecuting authorities report. Their mission was reportedly to kill police and other people in and around the Swedish Parliament. According to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, the two suspects scouted out possible attack sites on the Internet and unsuccessfully attempted to obtain weapons. In addition, they allegedly collected donations in Germany for the Islamic State of some 2,000 euros.

Revenge on behalf of the Islamic State

In December last year, two Syrian brothers who were living in Germany were sentenced to prison for having planned to explode an explosive belt in a Swedish church. Their motive was revenge for the repeated Koran burnings. The Islamic State had given them the assignment to target a church. In October, a Tunisian Islamist, who was living illegally in Brussels, shot two Swedish football fans on the street and injured two others during a qualification game. In a confessional video, he also claimed to be acting in the name of ISIS. The man was shot by police.

The accused from Gera are expected to be brought before an investigating judge on Tuesday or Wednesday. There the arrest warrants will be opened, which were issued almost two weeks ago. The (question) of a possible pre-trial detention will also be decided. Specifically, the investigators accuse the two of belonging to and supporting a terrorist association abroad and conspiracy to commit a crime, in this case, murder, as well as violations against the Foreign Trade Law.