Sweden terror alert level unchanged
Swedish policesaid they have not been able to establish if a man who died in a weekend suicide bombing in Stockholm had accomplices, but have not ruled out that possibility. The on...
Swedish police said they have not been able to establish if a man who died in a weekend suicide bombing in Stockholm had accomplices, but have not ruled out that possibility. The only fatality was the suspected bomber, a 28-year-old Iraqi-born Swede who had lived for several years in Britain.
Investigators were trying to establish the man's movements prior to Saturday's blasts. Two bystanders were injured in the attack, the first of its kind in the Scandinavian country. The national terror alert level was, however, not affected by the incidents, Anders Thornberg of the security police told reporters.
Reports of alleged pending attacks in Europe over the holiday season were being analysed and there was exchange of information with other agencies, added Jan Garton, director of the department of security intelligence at the seucrity police. Police said they were quite certain they have been able to identify the explosives used in the blasts. This was partly due to help from US explosives experts from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who also had access to the agency's huge database on explosives.
Other material being analysed was CCTV footage as well as a threatening email with an audio file in several languages sent just minutes before the blasts. Police have not ruled out that the bomber had accomplices, Thornberg said. Police were also considering a theory that the bomber moved to a less crowded side street after he experienced some problem with his bombs, and died when he accidentally detonated them, Thornberg said.
Investigators have received over 400 tips and were interviewing numerous witnesses. Thornberg and prosecutor Agnetha Hilding Qvarnstrom therefore predicted a long-running probe. We are not just gathering but also analysing information," Qvarnstrom said. In addition, Swedish authorities were also cooperating with authorities in Britain where the man had also lived and studied. His home in Luton, north of London, has been searched by British police.
