ISLAMABAD: Sweden’s intelligence agency raised its terror alert level to four out of five on the scale, designating the country as a “prioritized target,” following an intense backlash from the Muslim world due to desecrations of the Holy Quran within Sweden.
The alert level was high from its previous status of “elevated” since 2016 to “high,” as confirmed by Charlotte von Essen, the head of the Swedish Security Police, during a press briefing. Von Essen emphasized that this decision was rooted in the deteriorating situation involving threats of attacks against Sweden and the assessment that this threat would endure for an extended period.
Von Essen clarified that the decision to heighten the threat level was not based on a solitary incident but was the outcome of a comprehensive evaluation.
In recent months, both Sweden and its neighboring country Denmark have witnessed a series of public desecrations of the Holy Quran, triggering widespread condemnation and anger across Muslim nations. The escalation culminated in protesters from Iraq storming the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on two separate occasions in July, resulting in fires within the embassy compound during the second intrusion.
OIC expressed Disappointment with Sweden
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, headquartered in Jeddah, expressed “disappointment” with Sweden and Denmark for their perceived lack of action following the string of desecrations.
Instances of unrest also prompted Sweden to enhance its border controls starting from August 1. Various Western nations have updated their travel advisories for Sweden in response to the situation.
The United States, on July 26, issued a recommendation for its citizens to exercise increased caution in Sweden due to terrorism concerns. Similarly, Britain’s Foreign Office said on Sunday that there was a high likelihood of terrorists attempting to carry out attacks in Sweden, noting that Swedish authorities had effectively thwarted several planned attacks and made multiple arrests.
While Swedish authorities have not confirmed whether any attacks were prevented or arrests carried out, the country has publicly condemned the desecrations of the Holy Quran. However, it has upheld its principles regarding freedom of speech and assembly. The government has pledged to explore legal avenues to halt protests involving the desecration of religious texts under specific circumstances, although a majority of the populace appears to oppose such a change.
