Sweden: 4 Arrested in Terror Raid on Mosque

There has been a police raid by Sweden’s National Security Police (Säpo) in the town of  Tyresö. Four people are in custody, charged with planning to carry out an act of terrorism as well as large-scale weapons possession. The location raided today is described as a mosque and gathering place. I don’t know if this is a makeshift or established mosque.

The below article from Dagens Nyheter is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.dn.se/sverige/sapo-och-polisen-i-gemensam-insats-i-tyreso/

Sweden

Four suspected of preparing for a terrorist crime-Connected to ISIS

Updated at 18:15. Posted at 16:48

Caption: One person DN (Dagens Nyheter) spoke to was a witness to the police raid on the location in Tyresö

Four persons suspected of preparing for a terrorist crime and aggravated weapons possession were arrested Thursday in Tyresö. According to Security Police ( Säpo ),  the suspected crimes are connected to the ISIS terror organization.

“We had to act to disrupt the planned crime and avert a possible threat,” says Fredrik Hultgren-Friberg,  Säpo press spokesman to DN.

The case involves violent Islamist extremism where the Security Police also see connections to large-scale organized crime, the authorities write in a press release.

The raid on Thursday was carried out, among others, on a building that residents in the area describe as a mosque and gathering place.

“I saw police lying on a hill here behind (us) and they (moved). Two of the operational forces then came and moved me out of the way. They went ahead with a sledgehammer and began to break the windows. When they had broken openings in the windows, they threw in stun grenades,” says an eye witness to the police operation.

The witness describes how the police then broke down the door to the premises and searched it; then technicians arrived at the scene.

A man who usually visits the mosque has reached the closed-off location.

“I was married in this mosque, and I have been coming here for about ten years. It is a good mosque, and I have never heard anyone say anything about terrorism or anything like it. This really surprises me, and I wonder what has led to this,” says a man standing outside the mosque.

One of the police officers who are at the scene tells DN that he, among other things, is tasked with calming people who became upset when they saw the raid.

In total, there are four persons arrested in connection with the operation, suspected of preparing a terrorist crime and aggravated weapons possession, Säpo reports.

“It involves a group of individuals in the violent Islamist environment. The suspected crimes have international connections and are tied to the ISIS terror organization,” says Fredrik Hultgern-Friberg, Säpo press spokesman to DN.

Why was the raid done now?

“Based on our undercover work, it was judged that we needed to take action to stop the planned crimes and avert a possible threat. I cannot go into any concrete time aspects, but in the Security Police’s duties, it means that we often have to act in a timely manner to avert a threat.”

“We cannot wait for a crime to happen. When it comes to human life, we can never take chances,” he says.

In connection with the operation in Tyresö, several house searches were carried out under the leadership of the National Unit for Security Goals.*

* (Translator’s note) This is the prosecutorial arm for cases handled by Säpo.