Terrorism: Get doomed – despite several foiled terrorist threats – Göteborgs-Posten

The last some three years, Sapo averted several terrorist threats in Sweden – more linked to people returning after having fought abroad. Despite this, get convicted.

On Tuesday became again it known that a new terrorist threat against Sweden. According to data provided to the newspaper Expressen SAPO should have been informed of the Iraqi security services about seven to eight IS terrorists crossed into Sweden to carry out acts of terrorism in Stockholm. According to information planning terrorists to strike at civilian targets and the national task force and Piketen at Stockholm police declared heightened alertness.

But Sapo was at the same time very restrained with information and announced in principle only information does not affect the Swedish terrorhotsnivån. Today is terrorhotsnivån level three on a five-point scale.

– The information that has come to us and we work with do not affect terrorhotsnivån. It is the terrorhotsbedömning made by the Security Service, together with the National Centre for terrorhotsbedömning (NCT), said Sirpa Franzen, press officer at the Swedish Security Service.

According to Hans Brown , terrorism researcher at King’s College London, it is not surprising that the Security Service was curt.
– they do not go out with information now learn they do not do so in the near future either. SAPO is extremely careful to not disclose their working methods, he says.

The recent hefty three years, several threats of terrorist attacks averted in Sweden by the Swedish Security Service. Several of attack threats must have come from people who have returned to Sweden after having fought abroad. This is evident in the government bill regarding punishing terrorist travel in December 2015. The exact wording of the bill reads:
“Some of the attack shot by Security Police averted in Sweden over the past three years have involved returner previously engaged in violent acts abroad.”

– It is of course highly interesting information. This means both that we have returners who have tried several times and the fact that others have tried. It is also interesting because it means that staved off several threats without leading to prosecution, says Hans Brown.

Fredrik Milder on SAPO’s press office does not want to go into what kind of the bombers shot it concerns and how far past any possible terrorist plans had been before the Security Service averted them.
– We report is not normally the threats against Sweden and Swedish interests. We report nor the attack shot that could be deemed averted, says Fredrik Milder.
According to SAPO, some 300 Swedes traveled down to Syria and Iraq to join terrorist groups that IS, of which 135 of them have already returned to Sweden . Almost half are additionally taken from Gothenburg – of the 300 who joined 120 from Gothenburg.

– Seen from that perspective, it is not unreasonable to several of the returnees are in Gothenburg. Returnees is of course also a group that SAPO has an extra eye on because they are likely radicalized further during the time they have been in Syria, says Hans Brown.

Today, France and the United Kingdom along with Germany, Spain and Italy, countries where the jihadists prefer to strike. Only then end up Sweden. But where IS actually choose to attack is also controlled much of coincidences, says Hans Brun.
– It’s about what opportunities you see, if you for example have the resources in place in Sweden and found a target that is easy to strike against. Thus is of course also a potential target in Gothenburg. While Sweden is not a top priority. Jihadists major goal is to establish a caliphate by driving out the Western world from the Middle East. And then the main objectives of France and Britain – not Sweden.

Terrorhotsnivån
threat level in Sweden is since 2 March this year at level three, meaning elevated threat. The data is now being investigated have not given rise to any elevated level.
Terrorhotsskalan divided into five levels:

• The first No threat. No threat has been identified.
• 2. Low threat. The probability that players have the intent and ability to carry out attacks is low.
• 3rd Increased threat. The probability that players have the intent and ability to carry out attacks is increased.
• 4th High threat. The probability that players have the intent and ability to carry out attacks is high.
• 5th Very loud. The probability that players have the intent and ability to carry out attacks is very high. This level has not been used.

Source: TT