Country Report on Terrorism 2023 - Chapter 1 - Sweden

Overview:  The National Center for Terrorist Threat Assessment (NCT) determined that the threat toward Sweden increased during 2023.  NCT assessed that lone actors and small cells from violent “right wing” and violent Islamist groups posed the main terrorist threat to Sweden.  Islamist terrorist organizations actively designated Sweden as a target, as a result of several Quran burnings, a major disinformation campaign that accused authorities of kidnapping Muslim children, and the Israel-Hamas war.  On 17 August the Swedish Security Service (or Säpo) raised the terrorism threat level from 3 (elevated) to 4 (high) on a five-level scale.

2023 Terrorist Incidents:  On October 16, Tunisian citizen Abdesalem Lassoued shot three Swedes in Brussels.  Two died.  In a video, Lassoued claimed to have been inspired by ISIS.  He followed an account on TikTok that spread conspiracy theories about Muslim children being kidnapped by Swedish authorities.  Belgian police shot Lassoued dead the next day.  Lassoued entered Europe illegally in 2011 and was sentenced to a two-year prison sentence in Sweden in 2012.

Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security:  In 2023 the government continued efforts to strengthen its counterterrorism laws.

On January 1 a constitutional amendment came into effect allowing limitations on freedom of association for groups engaged in terrorism.  The change allows broader criminalization of participation in a terrorist organization.  On June 1 the new constitutional amendment’s implementing legislation entered into force, criminalizing actions meant to promote, strengthen, and support terrorist organizations.

Sweden repatriated no detained or displaced nationals from northeast Syria during 2023.  There are approximately five detained and 20 displaced Swedish nationals remaining in northeast Syria.  By the end of 2023, Sweden had repatriated 22 displaced nationals but declined to repatriate detained nationals from northeast Syria.  Säpo estimated that around 300 Swedish citizens traveled to join ISIS- and al-Qa’ida-linked groups, with about 160 having returned to Sweden.  A man and a woman linked to ISIS were sentenced for human trafficking and rape in Iraq and Syria between 2013 and 2015.  One female FTF who repatriated before 2023 was sentenced to prison for posing with dead bodies and posting photos and offensive comments on social media.  Other FTFs were being investigated for war crimes.  Swedish authorities collaborated closely with the FBI to build criminal cases against Swedish FTFs.  The Swedish Center for Preventing Violent Extremism had a network to support the rehabilitation and integration of returnees.

In April, two Syrian brothers were arrested in Germany for preparing to carry out a terrorist attack in Sweden.  Säpo arrested five persons throughout Sweden in April for plans to carry out terrorism.  Several of the suspects expressed support for ISIS.

Sweden is party to the EU’s identity verification and border management tools, such as the Schengen Information System and the Visa Information System.  Sweden collects and uses Advance Passenger Information and some Passenger Name Records, and exchanges information with other member states on irregular migration and border control.  The country used the “serious threat to public order and internal security” justification permitted under the Schengen Border Code to unilaterally prolong the temporary border controls first introduced in 2015 and extending into next year.

Sweden is a member of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, which requires broad counterterrorism partnership, including routine information sharing and border screening cooperation.

The Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM) and Nordic Strength are the main neo-Nazi movements in the Nordic countries.  Between them, the two groups have around 200 active Swedish members.  NRM conducted several acts of harassment and vandalism during 2023, with the Jewish community as one of the most targeted groups.  There may be up to 1,000 individuals in Sweden who are involved in REMVE groups or activities.

Countering the Financing of Terrorism:  Sweden is a member of the Financial Action Task Force, and its Financial Intelligence Unit, the National Financial Intelligence Service, is a member of the Egmont Group.  Säpo confirmed that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) carried out extensive financing activities in Sweden.  On September 20 a 41-year-old man was sentenced to imprisonment for attempted terrorist financing of PKK.

Countering Violent Extremism:  The Swedish Center for Preventing Violent Extremism (Swedish CVE) promotes and coordinates preventive efforts at the national, regional, and local level.  In July the government tasked 15 government agencies in the collaboration council against terrorism to deepen their cooperation in strengthening the ability to prevent, avert, and impede terrorism and violent extremism.  In addition, Säpo, the Police Authority, the Armed Forces, and the Defense Radio Establishment were tasked with strengthening their cooperation to combat terrorism.

On August 28, Swedish CVE was tasked with strengthening cooperation among government agencies, local government, and other relevant civil society stakeholders to prevent radicalization to violence and violent extremism.  On November 28 the Swedish School Inspectorate reported that the Cordoba International School in the Kista district of Stockholm needed to close after Säpo reported that staff were in contact with violent Islamists.  In June the Swedish Contingencies Agency, the Police Authority, and CVE presented their guidelines to prevent and handle school attacks.

Malmö and Stockholm are members of the Strong Cities Network.

International and Regional Cooperation:  Sweden is a member of the EU and supports CT efforts in regional and multilateral organizations, including the European Commission’s Radicalization Awareness Network, the EU-9 (focusing on FTFs), the Working Party on Terrorism, COTER (the Working Party on Terrorism-International Aspects), Europol, and the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.  Sweden is a donor to the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund.  In November the government called for increased EU cooperation to deal with individuals radicalized to violence within the Schengen Zone.  Sweden joined the Defeat-ISIS Coalition in 2014 and is a member of the Coalition’s Stabilization Working Group.

Sweden engaged in the following efforts to combat terrorism internationally:

• Funding international CT capacity building projects through development assistance.
• Funding to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s Terrorism Prevention Branch.
• Funding to the OSCE.
• Funding to NATO’s Voluntary National Contribution Fund.
• Joining the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by ISIS.
• Extending Sweden’s regional crisis strategy for Syria ($425 million for 2016-23), which included resilience support for groups affected by ISIS’s progress.