The two young men in Germany who are suspected of having planned a terrorist attack at Sweden’s Riksdag kept a low profile before their arrest, neighbors tell TV4 Nyheterna.
One of the men is suspected of having accepted a mission from the Islamic State, IS.
– You have hardly heard or seen anything. It was like they were ghosts, says neighbor Angelina.
The task force struck on Tuesday in the city of Gera with 90,000 inhabitants, around 25 miles south of Berlin. Two Afghan citizens, aged 23 and 30, were arrested and are now in custody, suspected of having planned an attack in Stockholm near the Riksdag.
Much is still unclear about the men. According to neighbors like TV4 Nyheterna, they were rarely seen. One man must have worked, the other studied.
– When you passed by, they looked at you and greeted you briefly. But otherwise we haven’t noticed much, says neighbor Laura.
– It was like they were ghosts. They had normal clothes, looked nice and normal, says Angelina.
None of the women want to give their last name.
Mapped the environment
According to German media reports, the authorities should have put the men under scrutiny already last year, when the men began to be investigated for terrorist financing. They are said to have collected donations in Germany of around SEK 23,000 to support members of the Afghan IS branch Islamic State Khorasan Province, ISKP.
They are now suspected of having planned to murder police officers and members of the public near the Swedish Parliament. Among other things, they have searched the internet to map the environment around the Riksdag and also tried to get hold of weapons.
“Uncomfortable feeling”
The neighbors have a hard time accepting what was going on in their apartment building.
– You want to know everything and get answers to all questions as quickly as possible. Now it’s just an unpleasant feeling, says Angelina.
The investigation is expected to last for months.