Sweden and Ethiopia Foil Terror Plot Against UAE Embassy in Addis Abeba

Hat tip Samtiden. Tranlsation from Swedish by Fousesquawk.

International police cooperation has paid off as Sweden and Ethiopia collaborated to shut down a terror cell before they could strike the embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Fifteen were arrested in Ethiopia and two in Sweden. It appears the arrests were carried out at the end of 2020. (Note: In the first paragraph, the article says three were arrested in Sweden. That is apparently an error.)

 https://samtiden.nu/2021/02/tva-haktade-i-sverige-for-terrorplaner/

Two arrested in Sweden for terror plans

21 February 2021

A 44-year-old with Eritrean citizenship residing in Gothenburg has been singled out as the “brain” behind a planned terror attack against the embassy in Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa. 15 have been arrested in Ethiopia and 3 (sic) in Sweden. 

The 44-year-old is alleged to be the leader of an Iranian terrorist sleeper cell that Iran activated to find a target for a terror attack in Africa. They are alleged to have studied the embassies of the USA and Israel in Addis Ababa but chose the United Arab Emirates. Ethiopia’s security service was able to stop the attack by arresting 15 persons.

Over time, several details about the terror plans leaked out in various countries including the arrests in Sweden at the end of last year.

“Ethiopia and Sweden cooperated and interrupted the conspiracy,” an American intelligence chief, Rear Admiral Heidi K. Berg, told the New York Times recently.

She also pointed out one of the two men arrested in Sweden and called him the “brain” behind the planned terror attack in Ethiopia. The United Arab Emirates embassy was allegedly chosen based on the countries rapprochement with Israel.

Arrested for conspiracy to commit a terrorist crime

Swedish authorities are silent. It will be some time before the preliminary investigation is completed, stated the prosecutor to  Kvällsposten

The 44-year-old is suspected on probable cause for conspiracy to commit a terrorist crime. He denied the crime during arrest proceedings.

Shortly before the 44-year-old was arrested, Security Police had struck an apartment in Trelleborg, where another 44-year-old man resides. He was also arrested on probable cause, suspected of conspiracy to commit a terrorist crime during November 2020 in Sweden and abroad.

The (man) arrested in Trelleborg has earlier worked as a bodyguard, he stated in a report. He has worked as a personal assistant in Sweden. He also denies having planned a terror attack.