“Sapo-head: the Two terror attacks near”

“the secret Police have in the last year thwarted at least two terrorist attacks in Sweden, claiming the boss Klas Friberg.”

“In both cases, the persons detained are suspected of various types of preparation for the terrorist incident. An unusual result for an authority that usually strikes before the plans passed so far.”

“– It is a bit more than we have had in recent years, says security police chief Klas Friberg in a TT interview.”

“But he doesn’t want to talk in terms of success.”

” I think it is tragic that we have the situation we have. We have about 3 000 people who are in the extremist environments and which could be prepared to take to violence. Now we have two cases that will show it.”

“It is about the recent terrortillslaget against several locations in the west of Sweden, and of whether the raid against several people with uzbekiskt origin Sapo carried out in april in Akalla in Stockholm, sweden and Strömsund in Jämtland, sweden. In both cases, it is likely that a terrorist attack has been averted, says Klas Friberg.”

“– In the latter, we have a criminal investigation that will soon lead to the prosecution where the suspicions related to the preparation of terrorist crimes, and then can you really say it. In the second, it is our opinion that we had an impending terrorist incident and we have gone in and averted it, ” he says.”

“What the intended targets were, or how many people could have been affected is no he goes on. The suspects have pleaded not guilty.”

“the Fbi usually argue that it is not the number of prosecutions and convictions of terrorist suspects, which determines how effective counter-terrorism is, without it in the first place is to prevent and prevent acts of terrorism before they are put in the work.”

” we See that a information is serious, then we shall repel it. Then go to save the life first, not to get a good preliminary investigation and convict someone of a crime – no, then we switch to the former in this case. Now we hope that we have been able to do it in such a way that we both can repel in a good way, but also that we have received enough so that a prosecutor can pursue it here in a preliminary investigation, ” says Klas Friberg.”

“Few have been prosecuted, and even fewer have been convicted, for the preparation or conspiracy to commit terrorist crimes in Sweden in recent years. An example is the deed against Lars Vilks that three people were suspected to have planned in 2011, something that is initially classified as preparation for the terrorist incident. The judgment was in the end sentenced to pay a fine for the violation of the offenses.”

“That it is missing testimonials are often a problem, but also that the suspects know exactly how to hide their doings and plans,” says Klas Friberg.”

“– these people that are involved in thinking and planning, they are trained and schooled in the use of communication tools in such a way that it should be difficult – on the verge to impossible, for the police or the security services of both to get them on the tracks and then find the evidence in their phones and computers that are needed to be able to move on, ” he says.”

“at the same time is just a technical seizure, often the entrance in the investigations, and the Fbi-the head is deeply frustrated that the important legislative proposals in the area of delay.”

” We are very keen to bring about legislation around data storage, for right now, we are tied in that respect. Usually choose the operators to not help us.”

“Since a judgment in the EUROPEAN court of justice in 2016, has both the police and the secret service much more difficult to quickly obtain information on, for example, where, when and how suspects have communicated with each other. As a result, both suspects can’t be picked up and crime is, according to Friberg.”

“– We have hundreds of cases where we do not arrive where we want to go forward.”

“He is at the same time pleased that the international cooperation has improved, and believes that it may have played some role, the profit for the year.”

” We have today an international collaboration that not only strategic but operational, and I want to say minutoperativt. Get other security services of anything they deem as serious as we get, on the minute, ” says Klas Friberg.”

“TT: Two cases with, according to you, far past plans on suspected acts of terrorism – it is a sign that the threat against Sweden has increased?”

“– It is a sign that it is constant, at level three on the national scale, which means that a terrorist attack can occur. This is why we choose not to lower the terrorhotnivån.”

“in Addition to the two known cases is likely to have even more attacks have been avoided, claims the Fbi-boss.”

“– We have a constantly ongoing process that involves analyzing the approximately 6 000 notifications, we handle each month around the terrorist incident. In them I am quite sure that we have taken measures which averted, ” he says.”

“On 30 april to beat the security Police against a uzbekiskt network. Crackdown was made in Akalla in Stockholm, sweden and Strömsund in Jämtland and three men, in the day of 46, 39 and 30 years old, was arrested and detained in custody. At the raid, the bar police in the road over the ten barrels from the property in Strömsund. A fourth man, a 34-year-old, was arrested in June and a fifth man, today 39 years old, was arrested in October. The suspects come from Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz republic and accused of preparation for terrorist offences as well terrorfinansiering. According to the prosecutor is expected to prosecute in cards. All have previously denied the offences.”

“On december 13 arrested a man in his 20s at one of several raids by security Police in western Sweden, among other things, in Lilla Edet and Ale municipality. The following day, arrested the man suspected of conspiracy to commit terrorist offences and serious vapenbrott. Several people also called in for questioning, but no further person was arrested. The case has international connections, the tip must have come from another country. The man denies the crimes.”

“According to the Fbi, there are about 3 000 våldsbejakande extremists in Sweden, a number which is almost ten-fold in seven years.”

“most, 2 000, is islamic justified, and it is also they who are singled out as the biggest threat.”

“the Rest of the extremists will come out of the white power environment and leading autonomous movements. In these two groups are the total of move about 600-700 people.”

“The past decade we have had two islamist-motivated attacks: the bombing in Stockholm in 2010 when Taimour Abdulwahab blew himself to death on Bryggargatan, and lastbilsattacken on Drottninggatan shopping street in Stockholm, sweden in 2017 then Rakhmat Akilov was killed five people and injured even more.”

“Terrorhotnivån in Sweden, has since 2010 been on a three on a five-digit scale, which means increased threat.”

“Source: Sapo, TT’s news archive”