Swedish intelligence lowers terror threat level
STOCKHOLM: Sweden's intelligence service said Friday it was lowering its terror alert level from 'high threat' to 'elevated threat,' saying the risk of an attack had subsided.
The Swedish Security Service (Sapo) raised the level in August 2023 to 'high threat' — the fourth level on a scale of five — after angry reactions to a series of protests involving desecrations of the Qur'an made the country a 'prioritized target.'
'Propaganda against Sweden has subsided and Sweden is not specifically mentioned as a target,' Fredrik Hallstrom, head of operations at the Swedish Security Service, told a press conference.
'We do not see the same intense flow of attack threats directed at Sweden,' he added.
Sapo said it now considered the terror alert level to be at 'elevated threat' — the third level on its five-point scale.
Hallstrom cautioned that with 'an elevated threat, there is room for a terrorist attack to occur.'
A series of Qur'an burnings across the country — most notably by Iraqi Christian Salwan Momika — in the summer of 2023 sparked outrage in the Muslim world.
It strained relations between Sweden and several Middle Eastern countries, and Iraqi protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad twice in July 2023, starting fires within the compound on the second occasion.
Momika ended up facing charges of inciting ethnic hatred, but in January of this year he was fatally shot in an apartment just hours before the court was due to deliver its ruling.
His co-protester Salwan Najem, also of Iraqi origin, was ultimately found guilty of inciting ethnic hatred during four Qur'an burnings in 2023.
Despite the lowered threat level, Charlotte von Essen, head of Sapo, stressed that 'Sweden is in a serious security situation.'
'The worst in many years,' von Essen told reporters.
The Sapo chief pointed to the fact that the war in Ukraine was still ongoing.
'Foreign powers — and Russia in particular — are carrying out extensive security-threatening activities in and against Sweden,' she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
8 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Britain unveils radical defense overhaul to meet new threats
Britain said on Monday it would radically change its approach to defense to address threats from Russia, nuclear risks and cyber-attacks by investing in drones and digital warfare rather than relying on a much larger army to engage in modern combat. Responding to US President Donald Trump's insistence that Europe take more responsibility for its own security, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged the largest sustained increase to UK defense spending since the end of the Cold War. But with limited finances, the government's plan envisages making the army more lethal, not larger, by learning from Ukraine where drones and technology have transformed the battlefield. Defense Secretary John Healey said Britain's adversaries were working more in alliance and technology was changing how war was fought: 'Drones now kill more people than traditional artillery in the war in Ukraine and whoever gets new technology into the hands of their armed forces the quickest will win.' Starmer commissioned a Strategic Defense Review shortly after he was elected last July, tasking experts including the former NATO boss, George Robertson, and a former Russia adviser to the White House, Fiona Hill, with formulating a plan for the next 10 years. Despite cuts to the military budget in recent years, Britain still ranks alongside France as one of Europe's leading military powers, with its army helping to protect NATO's eastern flank and its navy maintaining a presence in the Indo-Pacific. But the army, with 70,860 full-time trained soldiers, is the smallest since the Napoleonic era and the government has said it needs to be reformed given the growing strategic threats. New defense age Under the plan accepted by the government, Britain will expand its fleet of attack submarines which are nuclear-powered but carry conventional weapons, and will spend 15 billion pounds ($20.3 billion) before the next election due in 2029 on the replacement of the nuclear warheads for its main nuclear fleet. It will build at least six new munitions plants, procure up to 7,000 British-made long-range weapons, and launch new communication systems for the battlefield. A Cyber and Electromagnetic Command will lead defensive and offensive cyber capabilities, after UK military networks faced more than 90,000 'sub-threshold' attacks in the last two years. But on the size of the armed forces, the review said it would not reduce numbers, even as a greater emphasis is put on technology, but increasing the total number of regular personnel should be prioritized when funding allows, likely after 2029. 'The moment has arrived to transform how we defend ourselves,' Starmer told workers at BAE Systems' Govan shipbuilding site in Scotland, saying he would 'end the hollowing out of our armed forces.' 'When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, the most effective way to deter them is to be ready.' Starmer has already said defense spending will increase to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027, from 2.3 percent, but critics and political opponents urged the government to put a date on when it would move to 3 percent of GDP. Reuters has previously reported that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte wants members to raise defense spending to 3.5 percent of their GDP, and a further 1.5 percent on broader security-related items to meet Trump's demand for a 5 percent target. Starmer said he was '100 percent confident' that UK defense spending would hit 3 percent in the next parliament likely between 2029-2034 - something the review appeared to take into account when drafting its recommendations. The government described its policy as 'NATO first,' drawing on the strength of the alliance's members which meant it would never fight alone. Starmer has sought to cast the higher defense spending as a way to create jobs and wealth, as he juggles severely strained public finances, a slow-growing economy and declining popularity among an increasingly dissatisfied electorate. The announcement about new submarines helped lift the share prices of defense groups Babcock, BAE and Rolls Royce.
Arab News
9 hours ago
- Arab News
Araghchi, the bomb and the Iranian train
The US has no interest in resorting to a military solution to resolve the dispute with Iran over its nuclear program. The use of force in the Middle East revives memories of costly experiences. President Donald Trump himself does not believe that a military solution is viable, unless all other options to persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear dream run out. Iran, in turn, says it has no such dream. However, despite its repeated denials, the nuclear file continues to return to the spotlight. The lack of trust between the US and Iran is not unusual. The two countries have traded direct and indirect blows over recent decades, deepening this crisis of trust. The current Iran always views the US, or 'the Great Satan,' as the top danger. It is aware that the US is a major power that is capable of upending balances of power in most parts of the world. Meanwhile, the US views Iran as the main backer of terrorism in the Middle East and Washington has accused it of having a hand in every attempt to destabilize the region. Trump's return to the White House has inflamed the crisis with Iran. He is connected to two major events in Iran's recent history: Washington's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement and the killing of Qassem Soleimani. Trump has opened the door for negotiations with Iran, but with the constant reminder that it will never be allowed to possess nuclear weapons, even if this ultimately means resorting to military force to prevent it from doing so. The current nuclear crisis with Iran has entered a new phase in the wake of the latest International Atomic Energy Agency report, which accused Tehran of speeding up the rate of its uranium enrichment. Trump's repeated statements that Tehran will not be allowed to acquire nuclear arms have been accompanied by repeated signs from him that an agreement is possible, and soon. The US has no interest in sliding into a military confrontation with Iran. It also has no interest in Israel taking the reins in such a mission, meaning unpredictable repercussions. In all likelihood, Iran, which has long avoided slipping into a direct confrontation with the US, will continue to walk the same path in avoiding such a costly clash. The US has no interest in a military confrontation with Iran. It also has no interest in Israel taking the reins in such a mission Ghassan Charbel Moreover, Iran is today in no shape to become embroiled in such a test of force. The recent changes in the Middle East have not at all been in Iran's favor and they have denied it some of its most valuable cards. On this note, we have to wonder what Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will feel when his plane approaches Beirut airport. Will he sense that Beirut has changed or that the region has changed, along with Iran's position in it? He knows that his mission these days is very difficult, if not impossible. The world is calling on Iran to reassure it, while he responds that it should reassure Iran instead. Araghchi is aware of what has happened to the Iranian train in recent months. Syria has hopped off and there is nothing that would lead anyone to believe that it will jump back on again. What has changed in Syria is not just the name of its president, but an entire reversal in how it treats the Syrian people, its neighbors and the world. Damascus ousted the 'way of the resistance' that the Assad regime had long relied on. The US is no longer viewed as an enemy. Syria is now being desired and is in demand. Its advice and demands are also being heard. Syria no longer hosts the officers of Iran's Revolutionary Guards as part of the plan Soleimani spent years drawing up, especially after he successfully persuaded Vladimir Putin's Russia to save the Assad regime from collapse. Syria no longer hosts the headquarters of Palestinian 'resistance' organizations or offers its leaders safe havens. These groups are no longer welcome in Syria, while Lebanon's Hezbollah is now viewed as an enemy. Lebanon has also changed. The naming of presidents is no longer in the hands of Hezbollah commanders. The current president of the republic was elected after vowing to achieve a state monopoly over arms. The same can be said of the current prime minister. The current rule in Lebanon is based on the full implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1701. Any delay is full of dangers and risks wasting opportunities for reconstruction and reestablishing stability. Araghchi knows that the current nuclear crisis erupted at a very difficult time. The changes in Syria are comparable to the changes that took place in Iraq after Saddam Hussein was overthrown. Another Iraq and another Syria. Iran has not been able to make up for such losses. Iraq did not hop off the Iranian train in the wake of the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation and its ensuing wars, but it managed to remain outside of the storm and avoid any adventures. The Houthi missiles are not enough compensation for Iran's losses. One must pause at the situation in Gaza. The catastrophe there has no bounds and there are no limits to Israel's savagery. Hamas fought long and hard and paid a hefty price, but today it has no other practical alternative than to seek shelter in US envoy Steve Witkoff's proposal. Araghchi is aware of what happened to the Iranian train in the wake of the Al-Aqsa operation. He knows that the countries of the region encourage the building of bridges with his own. Perhaps he even knows that accepting a lesser role for his country is much better than risking exposing it and its regime to a direct clash with the American military machine. *Ghassan Charbel is editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper. X: @GhasanCharbel This article first appeared in Asharq Al-Awsat.
Asharq Al-Awsat
10 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Apple Challenges ‘Unreasonable' EU Order to Open Up to Rivals
Apple has submitted a legal challenge to an EU order to open up its closed ecosystem to rivals such as Meta and Alphabet's Google, saying the demands are unreasonable and hamper innovation. The European Commission had in March detailed how Apple must comply with the Digital Markets Act, which aims to rein in the power of Big Tech. Apple said the EU's interoperability requirements create "a process that is unreasonable, costly, and stifles innovation". "These requirements will also hand data-hungry companies sensitive information, which poses massive privacy and security risks to our EU users," it said in a statement. "These deeply flawed rules that only target Apple and no other company will severely limit our ability to deliver innovative products and features to Europe, leading to an inferior user experience for our European customers." Meta, Google, Spotify and Garmin are among companies that have requested access to Apple users' data. The legal fight will likely take years to play out in court. Until then, Apple will have to comply with the EU order. The Commission ordered Apple to give rival makers of smartphones, headphones and virtual reality headsets access to its technology and mobile operating system so they can connect with Apple's iPhones and iPad tablets. It also set out a detailed process and timeline for Apple to respond to interoperability requests from app developers.
