Days after implementing a counterterrorism bill, Sweden charged a man on Friday with "attempted aggravated extortion, an aggravated weapons offense and attempted terrorist financing,” saying he was acting on behalf of the PKK terrorist group.
Swedish media noted it was the first time that someone in Sweden was prosecuted for alleged financing of the PKK. Türkiye has refused to approve Sweden's request to join NATO, accusing the Swedish government of not doing enough to crack down on PKK members. The military alliance wants to admit Sweden before a NATO summit next month in Vilnius, Lithuania. All existing members must ratify a candidate country's accession protocol before it can join the trans-Atlantic alliance. Türkiye and Hungary are the only two members that have not yet ratified Sweden's bid.
The man charged Friday is in his 40s. Prosecutors did not identify him. He is accused of attempting to extort money on Jan. 11 in Stockholm by pointing a loaded revolver at a person, firing in the air and threatening to damage the premises unless he received demanded funds the following day, according to the charge sheet obtained by The Associated Press (AP). The man denies any wrongdoing, the Swedish news agency TT said.
The charge sheet alleged the money he attempted to raise was to finance terror activities and part of the activity "on a larger scale.” The suspect had been "alluding to his belonging to the organization PKK,” the document reads. The prosecution suspects he had contact with another Turkish citizen who was sentenced to prison in Germany in 2016 for membership in the PKK and for being "directly involved in the organization’s fundraising.”
Sweden tightened its anti-terrorism laws, a move expected to help persuade Türkiye to approve the Nordic nation’s request to join NATO. Swedish lawmakers included a prison term of up to four years for individuals convicted of participating in an extremist organization in a way that is intended to promote, strengthen or support the group.
However, the penalty can be increased to eight years when a crime is deemed serious. The revisions took effect June 1. "Türkiye has long pressed for concrete measures against the PKK, so I think this can have a certain effect on the NATO process,” Paul Levin, director of the Institute for Turkish Studies at Stockholm University, told Swedish broadcaster TV4.
Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan highlighted that Sweden needs to take concrete steps for Türkiye to approve its NATO bid, in a phone call with his counterpart Tobias Billstrom on Wednesday. Billstrom called Fidan, who previously served as the head of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) to congratulate him on his appointment, and discussed ongoing developments, the Foreign Ministry said. The two ministers agreed to hold further discussions following the upcoming permanent joint mechanism meeting, the ministry added.
Their call followed a decision by the Supreme Court of Sweden, which permitted Stockholm to return a man supporting the PKK terrorist group to Türkiye. The 35-year-old man was sentenced in 2014 to four years and seven months in a Turkish prison for transporting a bag containing cannabis, according to Aftonbladet newspaper. He was released on parole and moved to Sweden but was arrested in August last year following a request from Turkish prosecutors who want him to serve the rest of his sentence. But the newspaper said the man claims the real reason Turkish authorities are seeking him is his affiliation with the pro-PKK Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and for having shown support for the PKK.
In the decision, according to Aftonbladet, the court noted that it had asked the Turkish prosecutor if there were ongoing investigations or charges against the man regarding “propagating for a terrorist organization” or “insulting the Turkish president,” which the prosecutor denied.
Recent provocative demonstrations by terrorist sympathizers and Islamophobic figures in Stockholm have led Turkish leaders to question Sweden’s commitment to take the steps necessary for NATO membership. Terrorist propaganda, as well as the burning of Islam’s holy book outside Türkiye’s Embassy in Stockholm in January, which sparked condemnation in the Islamic world, leading to weeks of protests and calls for a boycott of Swedish goods, have contributed to Sweden’s long-spun process. Continued terror-affiliated and anti-Türkiye protests, as recent as a demonstration in Stockholm last Sunday targeting Erdoğan and protesting the new law, risk further endangering Sweden’s NATO bid.
Also on Friday, Sweden's prime minister and defense minister announced they would allow NATO to base troops on its territory even before it formally joins the defense alliance.
"The government has decided that the Swedish Armed Forces may undertake preparations with NATO and NATO countries to enable future joint operations," Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Defense Minister Pal Jonson said.
"The preparations may comprise temporary basing of foreign equipment and personnel on Swedish territory.
"The decision sends a clear signal to Russia and strengthens Sweden's defense," they said in an opinion piece in the daily Dagens Nyheter. Russia would for the foreseeable future remain a threat against neighboring countries, they said, and they were uncertain of the extent of Russian President Vladimir Putin's territorial ambitions. Fellow Nordic country Finland, which has a long border with Russia, joined NATO in April.
