22-year-old Swede is convicted of terrorist offenses • Arrested by the intervention force at Arlanda-wanted to join IS
The 22-year-old man, a resident of Småland, tried several times to travel to Somalia. The prosecutor thinks he wanted to join IS. In the spring of 2024 he begins his third attempt to travel down, then he was arrested at Arlanda.
In the Security Police’s investigation, four of the man’s trips were mapped. The first takes place in the spring of 2023, when he travels with an old friend to Mecca for what is described as a “minor pilgrimage”. Two days earlier, the 22-year-old stated in chats that he had sworn his allegiance to IS, but the police do not believe that the first trip is a crime.
Attempted to travel to Somalia several times
However, the man is sentenced for the three later trips. The court believes that the 22-year-old planned to participate in a terrorist organization.
– The investigation has been extensive and the court has been given a good picture of the various events, says Gabriel Lind af Hageby, councilor and the chairman of the court.
In the fall of 2023 he travels to Brussels with the same traveling companion as before. There, a man from the Netherlands also joins, he was recently sentenced to four years in prison for trying to join IS.
Together they travel to Ethiopia where they meet another Swedish man with connections to ice. They travel to the Somali border, but are arrested by Ethiopian police and are allowed to sit in custody before going home. The Ethiopian authorities suspected that they could be involved in terrorism.
Almost a year after the first trip, the 22-year-old goes to Mecca again with his comrade. They spend six days in Mecca before traveling to Somalia. Upon arrival, they are arrested by the police, may sit in custody and be sent home.
Was arrested at Arlanda
Despite the failed attempts to get to Somalia, the 22-year-old continues to try. Two months after he was sent home by Somali authorities, he plans to travel there again. In early June he goes to Arlanda, goes through the security check and moves towards the street – then the national intervention force strikes.
In the backpack there were a few garments, a pass, debit card, sim card and around 200 US dollars.
The explanation: Ville Turista
When the police went through the man’s mobile, a large number of films and pictures with propaganda materials from ice and execution films were found.
In interrogation, the police wonder why he wants to travel to a war -affected country that he has no relationship with. The man also has no relatives in Somalia and the Foreign Ministry advises Swedish citizens to travel there.
– I was interested in camel markets. So experience culture, the food. There are like old cave paintings there, very old, says the man in interrogation.
When the interrogator asks where the caves are or what they are called, the man has no answer.
Bought visas and donated money to ice
In addition to the trips, the 22-year-old was charged with helping people with connections to IS to buy a visa to Ethiopia.
He also raised money, took out loans and brought over money to IS. A total of SEK 25,100 was sent to various terrorist collection campaigns through cryptocurrency.