Eritrean Terror Cell Busted in Sweden

Two culture-enriching “Swedes” have been arrested by Swedish authorities for allegedly plotting an Islamic terrorist attack in Addis Ababa.

Many thanks to Gary Fouse for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes and RAIR Foundation for the subtitling:

The following article (also translated by Gary Fouse) was posted by the online news site Samtiden, which is published by Sverigedemokraterna (the Sweden Democrats).

Two arrested in Sweden for terror plans

February 21, 2021

A 44-year-old with Eritrean citizenship who resides in Gothenburg has been singled out as the “brain” behind a planned terror attack against the embassy in Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa. 15 have been arrested in Ethiopia and 3 [sic — should be 2] in Sweden.

The 44-year-old is alleged to be the leader of an Iranian terrorist sleeper cell that Iran activated to find a target for a terror attack in Africa. They are alleged to have studied the embassies of the USA and Israel in Addis Ababa but chose the United Arab Emirates. Ethiopia’s security service was able to stop the attack by arresting 15 persons.

Over time, several details about the terror plans leaked out in various countries, including the arrests in Sweden at the end of last year.

“Ethiopia and Sweden cooperated and interrupted the conspiracy,” an American intelligence chief, Rear Admiral Heidi K. Berg, told The New York Times recently.

She also pointed out one of the two men arrested in Sweden and called him the “brain” behind the planned terror attack in Ethiopia. The United Arab Emirates embassy was allegedly chosen based on the countries’ rapprochement with Israel.

Arrested for conspiracy to commit a terrorist crime

Swedish authorities are silent. It will be some time before the preliminary investigation is completed, stated the prosecutor to Kvällsposten.

The 44-year-old is suspected on probable cause of conspiracy to commit a terrorist crime. He denied the crime during arrest proceedings.

Shortly before the 44-year-old was arrested, Security Police raided an apartment in Trelleborg, where another 44-year-old man resides. He was also arrested on probable cause, suspected of conspiracy to commit a terrorist crime during November 2020 in Sweden and abroad.

The man arrested in Trelleborg worked earlier as a bodyguard, he stated in a report. He has worked as a personal assistant in Sweden. He also denies planning a terror attack.

Video transcript:

00:05   The murder of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani became world news. Now two men living in Sweden
00:12   have been pointed out by an American intelligence officer
00:16   for having planned a terrorist attack as retaliation.
00:19   One is a man who lives in Skåne. He has previously worked as a bodyguard and personal assistant.
00:23   The other is a 44-year-old entrepreneur residing in Gothenburg —
00:27   who is named as the “brain” behind the terror plans.
00:30   The planned terror attack would have been carried out in Ethiopia’s capital city,
00:34   Addis Ababa, against the embassy of the United Arab Emirates,
00:37   according to information from the Ethiopian State Security Service.
00:41   Altogether,15 persons are reported to have been arrested
00:44   in Ethiopia and three suspects also in Sweden.
00:48   The 44-year-old entrepreneur was arrested in December of last year when he landed
00:52   at Arlanda airport. He is suspected on probable cause
00:56   of conspiring in a terrorist attack during the period from 22 November 2019
01:00   to 1 December 2020. But he denies the crime.
01:04   The other person is a 44-year-old man who was arrested in Trelleborg
01:07   and has now been charged on probable cause
01:10   with conspiring to commit a terrorist crime during November 2020 in Sweden and abroad.
01:17   In Sweden, the resident of Trelleborg has worked as a personal assistant.
01:21   He also denies planning a terror attack.
01:24   Evidence against the suspects is based in large part on information
01:27   provided to Swedish security police by other nations’ intelligence services.