UK warns of terror risk in EU state

The heightened threat level in Sweden follows a string of Quran burnings

The British government has advised citizens traveling to Sweden to stay “vigilant at this time” due to the increased threat of extremist violence.

“Terrorists are very likely to try and carry out attacks in Sweden. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by foreigners,” the UK Foreign Office’s travel advice published on Sunday reads.

The statement added that Swedish authorities have already “disrupted a number of planned attacks and made a number of arrests.”

According to the Swedish police website, the risk of terrorism is currently at level 3, meaning there is an “elevated threat.” 

In a statement acknowledging the change in the UK’s travel advice, Sweden’s national security advisor Henrik Landerholm acknowledged that the security situation has deteriorated due to recent Quran-burning stunts.

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In late July, two Christian Iraqi refugees stomped on a copy of the Quran and set fire to some pages in front of the Swedish Parliament. The men had staged similar controversial acts on two previous occasions. The incident sparked an outcry from Muslim-majority nations, with Iraq expelling the Swedish ambassador and recalling its own envoy from Stockholm.

Sweden’s freedom of speech laws permit the burning of holy texts, but the international protests have sparked fears of an Islamist backlash.

The Swedish government has been criticized for refusing to extend its law on hate crimes to include Quran desecration, arguing that such changes would violate freedom of expression.

In early August, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson admitted that the Swedish government was in daily contact with the intelligence services “about the threat of a retaliatory terror attack,” adding that the Quran burnings had shifted Sweden from being a “legitimate target” for terror groups to a “priority target.” 

READ MORE: Moscow hits out at Sweden over Koran-burning stunt

Kristersson also said his government was considering legislation that would allow police to stop people burning the Muslim holy book in cases where there is a threat to national security.

Russia’s State Duma has condemned Stockholm for allowing such public acts, claiming that the city authorities were fully aware that their actions would lead to heightened religious and ethnic tensions.