Latest news with #JohanAhlander
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sweden lowers terrorist threat assessment back to level before 2023 Koran burnings
By Simon Johnson and Johan Ahlander STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Sweden's SAPO security service lowered its national terrorist threat warning on Friday back to the "elevated" level assessed before 2023, when it was raised in the wake of a spate of Koran burnings. SAPO had raised the threat level to "high", the second highest level, after several high profile cases in which anti-Islam activists based in Sweden burned copies of the holy book, outraging Muslims in several countries. SAPO said that after a period during which Sweden was singled out as a specific target in militant propaganda, it was now increasingly being treated as a part of the West more generally. "Sweden has gone from being a priority target to a legitimate target for violent Islamism globally," SAPO head Charlotte von Essen told a news conference. "The threat of attacks from violent extremism, in the traditional sense, is not as high as before." She stressed that Sweden was not immune and that attacks could always happen regardless of the terror level assessment. The Koran burnings in 2023 prompted angry protesters to storm and vandalise Sweden's embassy in Baghdad and drew calls to violence from militant groups such as Hezbollah, al Shabaab and al Qaeda. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also urged severe punishment for those responsible and said Sweden was in battle mode against the Muslim world. Salwan Momika, an Iraqi refugee behind most Koran burnings in Sweden in recent years, was shot dead in January, a murder that is still unsolved but believed by police to be connected to his anti-Islam activities. SAPO also said threats to Jews and Israeli targets in Sweden had increased since the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas-led fighters, which triggered the war in Gaza.
The Star
30-04-2025
- The Star
Swedish police apprehend murder suspect after Uppsala shootings
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Swedish police said on Wednesday they have apprehended a suspect following a shooting in which three people were killed in the city of Uppsala on Tuesday. The person was suspected of murder and was one of several people being interrogated as part of the investigation, police told reporters. The shooting took place at a hair salon in Uppsala, they added. Police said the incident was believed to be "an isolated event" and not linked to the extensive Walpurgis night celebrations expected in Uppsala on Wednesday. (Reporting by Johan Ahlander in Stockholm and Louise Rasmussen in Copenhagen, editing by Terje Solsvik)
The Star
27-04-2025
- Business
- The Star
World military spending hits $2.7 trillion in record 2024 surge
FILE PHOTO: An explosion of a ballistic missile lights up the sky over the city during a Russian missile and drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine April 24, 2025. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/File Photo STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -World military expenditure reached $2.72 trillion in 2024, an increase of 9.4% from 2023 and the steepest year-on-year rise since at least the end of the Cold War, according to a report released by a leading conflict think tank on Monday. Heightened geopolitical tension saw increased military spending in all world regions, with particularly rapid growth in both Europe and the Middle East, data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) showed. "Over 100 countries around the world raised their military spending in 2024," SIPRI said. "As governments increasingly prioritize military security, often at the expense of other budget areas, the economic and social trade-offs could have significant effects on societies for years to come," it said. The war in Ukraine and doubts over U.S. commitment to the NATO-alliance saw military spending in Europe (including Russia) rise by 17%, pushing European military spending beyond the level recorded at the end of the Cold War. Russia's military expenditure reached an estimated $149 billion in 2024, a 38% increase from 2023 and double the level in 2015. This represented 7.1% of Russia's GDP and 19% of all government spending. Ukraine's total military expenditure grew by 2.9% to reach $64.7 billion, which amounts to 43% of Russia's spending. At 34% of GDP, Ukraine had the largest military burden of any country in 2024. "Ukraine currently allocates all of its tax revenues to its military," SIPRI said. "In such a tight fiscal space, it will be challenging for Ukraine to keep increasing its military spending." Military spending by the U.S. rose by 5.7% per cent to reach $997 billion, which was 66% of total NATO spending and 37% of world military spending in 2024. (Reporting by Johan Ahlander; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Swedish government looks to tighten gun laws after mass shooting
By Johan Ahlander and Simon Johnson OREBRO, Sweden (Reuters) - Sweden's right-wing government said on Friday it would seek to tighten gun laws in the wake of the country's deadliest mass shooting at an adult education centre where the attacker appeared to have used several of his own licensed rifles. Ten people were shot dead at the centre in Orebro, a city some 200 km (125 miles) west of Stockholm, on Tuesday, before the man believed to be the perpetrator - identified by a Reuters source and Swedish media as Rickard Andersson, a 35-year-old Swedish recluse - turned a weapon on himself. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Police have not disclosed the names of the dead and injured but have said they hope to conclude the identification process on Friday. Among the victims were several Christians who fled persecution in Syria. Police say they have found no evidence of an ideological motive so far. The government has agreed with its far-right backers in parliament to tighten up the vetting process for people applying for licenses to own semi-automatic weapons. It said the AR-15, an assault rifle based on a military design that has been used in many mass shootings in the United States, was the kind of gun it wanted to limit access to. The government said it also wanted to strengthen information sharing between the police and the National Board of Health and Welfare regarding individuals who should not be allowed to own guns for medical reasons. "The terrible violent attack in Orebro highlights several central questions on gun laws," the government statement said. The attack has also raised questions about whether security at Sweden's schools needs to be better. Unlike in many other countries, schools are generally seen as semi-public spaces and rarely have any controls on who can go in and out. SECURITY CAMERAS The government is looking at speeding up legislation already going through parliament that would make it easier for schools to install surveillance cameras, Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told Swedish media on Thursday. Police have said the suspect, who has not been formally identified, had permits for four rifles and that investigators found three weapons next to his dead body along with 10 empty ammunition magazines and large amounts of unused ammunition. Sweden has a high level of gun ownership by European standards, though it is much lower than in the United States. Most weapons are held legally for hunting, but a gang crime wave has highlighted the high incidence of illegal handguns. Figures from 2017 by The Small Arms Survey, a Swiss-based research institute, showed there were about 2.3 million guns held by civilians in Sweden. That is around 23 guns per 100 people compared to 120 in the United States and 4.6 in Britain. The attack has left Sweden in mourning and police are still trying to determine a motive. They are looking into information he was at some point a student at the school. The school has around 2,700 students, around 800 of whom are enrolled in Swedish For Immigrants courses, according to information provided by the local authority.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Swedish police confirm several licensed rifles found at scene of mass shooting
By Johan Ahlander OREBRO, Sweden (Reuters) - Swedish police found several rifles in the adult education centre in Orebro where a gunman killed 11 people and wounded several others this week in the country's deadliest mass shooting, a spokesperson said on Thursday. Police believe the suspected killer - identified by a Reuters source and Swedish media as Rickard Andersson, a 35-year-old unemployed recluse - acted alone. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. "We have found several weapons in the school. They are so-called long guns, rifles," a police spokesperson told Reuters. "They are licensed guns and can be linked to the suspected perpetrator." The attack occurred on Tuesday at the Risbergska adult education centre in Orebro, a city of more than 100,000 people some 200 km (125 miles) west of Stockholm. Swedish authorities have said there was no evidence so far that the shooter, whose body was discovered at the scene, had "ideological motives". The police have not confirmed the name of the suspect and the number of wounded remains unclear, two days after the attack at the school, which offers adult courses and Swedish language classes for immigrants. While Sweden has suffered a wave of gun violence in recent years related to gang crime, the nation has been shocked by the brutality of Tuesday's crime. Survivors barricaded themselves in classrooms and hid under beds to escape the killer. When they were released by police they spoke of seeing pools of blood where victims had been shot. Police are still working to formally identify the dead. "There is still a lot of work to be done there and not everyone has been definitively identified," the police spokesperson said. "There are formalities for that." Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who called the attack a "dark day" for Sweden, will hold a regular gathering of the government on Thursday and has invited all the opposition parties to attend in a show of political unity. (This story has been corrected to clarify that the police said several rifles were found, not just three, in paragraph 1)
