The level of terrorist threat in Sweden has been raised to 4 out of 5, the country has become a priority target for the Islamists, the Swedish State Security Service said in a statement.
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“The threat level varies from elevated threat (3) to high (4) threat on a five-point scale. An increase in the terrorist threat level should serve as a signal to all relevant social actors about the importance of continuing to work with measures to reduce the risk of a terrorist attack,” the ministry said in a statement.
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According to the head of the Swedish State Security Service, Charlotte von Essen, Sweden has become a priority target for the Islamists.
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The department noted that the decision to increase the level of terrorist threat in Sweden should be considered in a strategic and long-term perspective.
For the first time since 2016, the terrorist threat level is assessed as high. As the TV channel noted, this means that now the country’s authorities are assessing the presence of “a specific terrorist threat in Sweden.”
The decision to increase the terrorist threat level is based on data from the National Terrorism Threat Assessment Center (NCT), which represents the Security Police, the Swedish Defense Radio Authority (FRA) and the Military Intelligence and Security Service (Must).
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Last week, Magnus Sjöberg, head of the counter-terrorism department at the National Police Operations Department, said that Sweden, along with Denmark and the Netherlands, became the target of terrorist groups after the burning of the Koran, the terrorist threat to Sweden became more tangible.
