Two brothers have been arrested in Germany on suspicion of having planned a terrorist attack against a church in Sweden.
– We have been able to ensure that the target has been a Swedish church, but we cannot go into details about which or where in Sweden it is located, says chief prosecutor Liddy Oechtering to TT.
According to Die Welt a 28-year-old Syrian citizen and his four-year-younger brother were arrested about a month ago in Hamburg and Kempten in Bavaria, respectively, which the newspaper Dagen was the first in Sweden to report.
The younger brother is now also suspected of having been directly involved in plans for a possible terrorist act. According to the newspaper, there are possible Islamist motives, but the investigators see no direct connection to the terrorist sect IS.
– The investigators have gone through e-mails and chats between the brothers and were able to see that it was about a Swedish church. But the investigation is still ongoing. What I can say is that it seems to have something to do with a Koran burning that is supposed to have taken place in Sweden and which has been reported a lot in the German media, says chief prosecutor Liddy Oechtering.
She confirms to TT that there are also suspicions of terrorist financing. The brothers are said to have lived in Germany for several years and are said to have no criminal past.
Explosives found
During the crackdown on the home in Hamburg, the police allegedly found chemicals and fertilizers that could be used to make an explosive charge. The find in the home, however, should not have been finished or able to detonate, writes Welt.
Both brothers were arrested a month ago, but the younger brother who was arrested in Bavaria was only detained on Tuesday. Therefore, according to the chief prosecutor, it will take some time before the case is taken up in court.
– Since both are currently in custody, but one only since yesterday, the investigation will take longer. I can’t say anything about when it might become relevant, says Liddy Oechtering.
Säpo does not comment
The information about the plans for a terrorist act is said to come from a foreign intelligence agency.
Säpo does not want to comment on the data, but refers to German authorities.
TT: Have you had contact with the German authorities?
– We do not go into that. As far as our international cooperation is concerned, we do not go into what it looks like. It is part of our operational work, says Säpo’s spokesperson Gabriel Wernstedt.