On Thursday afternoon, AlertsUSA subscribers were notified of a security alert issued by the US Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden warning of possible terrorist attacks in retaliation for a series of recent Quran burning incidents in the country.
Background:
The embassy alert was issued following a call by the al-Qaeda terror network for Muslims to retaliate for recent, very public desecrations of the Quran. Released via the Telegram channel of the affiliate Al-Sahab, the message claims the Quran burnings are a coordinated attack, behind which are the population and governments of Sweden and Denmark. The group is urging its followers to target the embassies and diplomats of the Scandinavian nations, as well as their citizens and interests abroad.
The message also states, "They have learned nothing from Charlie Hebdo," in reference to a terrorist attack on a French newspaper in 2015 for what were considered disrespectful caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad. 12 people were killed in the attack.
Several of the Quran burnings have taken place outside of the Turkish, Egyptian, and Iraqi embassies in Stockholm and Copenhagen, as well as outside of mosques and in other public places.
The anti-Islam protests, motivated in part by Turkey blocking Sweden's entry to NATO, have triggered demonstrations in numerous Muslim nations, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, and Lebanon. In Saudi Arabia, the government called in the Swedish ambassador for a dressing down. Afghanistan has suspended the activities of all Swedish organizations in the country. The protests in Iraq have been the most violent. Last month, the Iraqi government expelled the Swedish ambassador and demonstrators torched their embassy in Baghdad.
Readers are reminded that Sweden does not have blasphemy laws and the Quran burnings are protected by freedom of expression clauses in their constitution. Also, in Sweden, it is up to police to decide whether to authorize demonstrations or public gatherings. Thus far, many of the Quran burnings have been carried out not only with police approval, but also their protection.
On Thursday, the Swedish Security Service raised the terror threat level to “high,” the fourth of five levels, for the first time since 2016.
The UK Foreign Office is warning British travelers of the threat, telling it's citizens that terrorists are “very likely” to carry out an attack in Sweden. Warning messages have also been issued by Canada and New Zealand urging special caution in Sweden.
The US Embassy is warning American citizens in country to keep a low profile, to use caution when going to public venues frequented by large numbers of people, as well as when in and around all diplomatic facilities.
AlertsUSA continues to monitor the situation around the clock and will immediately notify service subscribers of any developments which signal a change the overall threat picture for American citizens as events warrant. |
