Sweden’s Attempted Suicide Bomber Shows Country’s Growing Jihadist Problem

On April 7, 2016, 20-year old Swedish national was formally charged from an arrest this past February 11 of trying to buy materials to build an explosive. The suspect denies the charges that he is a terrorist. However, prosecutors have laid out a case saying that the jihadist had a carefully planned a major attack on Sweden and that his intentions were to hurt the country.

Prosecutor Ewameri Haggkvist noted that the suspects own family heard him pledged loyalty to the Islamic State (IS) and expressing a willingness to committee a suicide bombing. He reportedly told authorities that he wanted to die a martyr.

He also noted that the suspected had been stopped in Turkey twice in June 2015 for trying to enter Syria and deported back to Sweden.

Police found six bottles of acetone, duct tape, a mobile phone, and jars of material for use as shrapnel were all found in a raid of the suspect’s home back in February. A receipt for pressure cooker was also discovered and has been included as potential evidence in this case.

Prosecutor Haggvkist said the suspect was known to search online for instructions on how to build a bomb and also followed IS jihadist attacks from around the world. The theory authorities are going on is that the suspect may have been trying to build a bomb similar to the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing.

Sweden like much of Europe is still on edge over the March 22 Brussels-Zaventem Airport and Maelbeek Metro bombing. Sweden has recently broadened its anti-terrorism legislation to include new provisions that any citizens that heads to Syria for terror training.

Additionally, those who are also convicted of financing terrorism can face up to two years in prison and if the crime is aggravated it could lead to a six-year sentence. Since 2013, Sweden’s National Security Service (SAPO) estimates that 300 citizens have left to train with IS in the Middle East and that 135 have returned to Sweden.

Gothenburg in southern Sweden is one of the largest recruitment areas for IS and many of the jihadists returning from the Middle East reside there. In 2012, riots at a high school broke out after 500 migrants students threatened to beat a 17-year old girl who made what they claimed were false rumors.

Sweden has come under heavy criticism for its liberal stance on immigration for decades and is now facing more refugees than it can handle.  Sylvi Listhaug, Norway’s Interior Minister, who went before the Norwegian parliament and demanded for tighter immigration restrictions claimed “we cannot be like Sweden.”

Lars Hedegaard, founder of the Danish Free Press, noted that Sweden is virtually become a failed state due to policies and refusing to address warning signs.

Sweden has seen hundreds of thousands of refugees arrive, a corresponding migrant crime rate spike, and the prevalence of so-called “no-go zones”  were law enforcement ability to provide services is limited. Migrant riots that have plagued the country since 2013 has led to strong anti-immigrant backlash.

Sweden’s Prime Minister Stepan Lofven says he is working to get additional funding to SAPO and is also giving new assignments to the security police to monitor those who travel to the Middle East for terror training.