Just hours after Denmark raised its threat level on Wednesday, police evacuated one of two terminals at Copenhagen’s Kastrup Airport after two men were overheard talking about a bomb in one of their bags. Level four indicates a high threat with players who have the intent and means to carry out an attack.
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Anders Thornberg said Wednesday that police have launched “a preliminary investigation regarding preparation for a terrorist offense”.
On Friday night a number of gunmen attacked several locations across Paris, later detonating suicide belts and killing 129 people.
Sweden’s security service says it has raised the Scandinavian country’s terror alert to the second-highest level. “At present, we know of no links to what has happened in France and Belgium”.
SAPO said Wednesday it had received “concrete information” and has chose to act “with the framework of our contra-terror work”.
While Swedish Interior Minister Ygeman said that alone the manhunt was not sufficient to raise the threat level, in light of the recent attacks in Paris heightened security was deemed prudent. It was not clear if the suspect was still in Sweden.
“We are made a decision to take each motion to safe order, safety and security in our nation”, he stated.
Sweden over the last few years has participated in North Atlantic Treaty Organisation missions in Afghanistan and are training Kurdish forces in Iraq, moves that have changed its traditional image of neutrality.
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“We typically exaggerate the concept simply because we aren’t a part of a army alliance and comparatively impartial that we now have a sort of immunity to terrorism and extremism”, stated Magnus Ranstorp, analysis director with the Centre for Asymmetric Threat Studies on the Swedish National Defence College.
