Copies of the Koran have repeatedly been set on fire or destroyed in Stockholm. Outrage in Islamic countries followed promptly. The threat of terrorism in their own country is likely to have increased significantly.
After several Koran burnings and the associated threats from abroad, Sweden has raised its terror alert level to the second highest level for the first time since 2016. It will be increased from level 3 to 4, as the head of the Swedish news service Säpo, Charlotte von Essen, announced at a press conference in Stockholm on Thursday. Sweden is in a deteriorated situation with regard to the risk of attacks, which will continue for a longer period of time. The decision was not due to a single incident, but should be viewed as a long-term assessment.
Copies of the Koran had recently been set on fire or otherwise desecrated several times in Stockholm during Islamophobic actions. The result was angry protests in predominantly Muslim countries, including attacks on the Swedish embassy in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. The terrorist network al-Qaeda had recently issued an alleged statement calling for attacks with a view to the burning of the Koran.
Level 4: There is a concrete danger
Altogether there are five terror warning levels in the NATO candidate country Sweden, whereby level 5 has never been used. Level 4 means that the authorities believe there is a specific threat to the country and there is a high likelihood that actors have the intent and ability to carry out attacks. In contrast to level 3, it is no longer assumed that there is an “increased” but of a “high threat”. The Säpo boss makes decisions on the warning levels based on assessments by a national working group, which includes representatives from several state authorities.
Terrorism warning level 4 last applied for a few months during the refugee crisis of 2015 and 2016, when Sweden took in an exceptionally large number of refugees. It was imposed shortly after the terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015. At that time, the Islamic State terrorist militia had called for attacks in Europe.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
