Germany nabs 2 Daesh suspects planning to attack Swedish parliament
The Enok 6.2 armored offensive vehicle of the special units is on the sidelines of the large-scale transnational exercise on the grounds of the riot police. Special police and customs units as well as members of the German Armed Forces, rescue services, fire department and technical relief organization are taking part in the counter-terrorism exercise "Counter Terrorism Exercise 2024," March 17, 2024. (Reuters Photo)


German security forces arrested two suspected Daesh terrorists for plotting to attack the Swedish parliament, the federal prosecutor's office said Tuesday.

Two Afghan nationals identified as Ibrahim MG and Ramin N were detained in the eastern German city of Gera on suspicion of plotting the attack, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

Sweden was rocked by a series of Quran burnings last year. The burnings, which are protected by Sweden's far-reaching freedom of speech laws, sparked outrage across much of the Muslim community and led to violent clashes, including the storming and vandalization of Sweden's embassy in Baghdad.

According to German prosecutors, the two suspects had planned to kill police officers and other people using firearms in the area of the parliament in Stockholm.

Ibrahim MG and Ramin N researched the location online and repeatedly tried to obtain weapons, albeit unsuccessfully, the prosecutor's office said.

The suspects joined Daesh Khorasan Province, a branch of the terrorist group, in 2023 and had collected donations of around 2,000 euros ($2,170.00) for the organization. The funds were intended to help Daesh terrorists imprisoned in northern Syria, the statement added.

The suspects will be brought on Tuesday and Wednesday before a German court, which will decide whether to keep them in pre-trial detention.

The Swedish Security Service said it could not comment on the German case, adding that it was in constant contact with its counterparts in Europe.