This section contains news from open sources on persons involved in jihadist activities or criminal activities satellite to jihadism in Sweden.
A boy from a municipality in south-western Scania has become radicalised in violent Islamist environments. He has threatened to kill students at his school and shown them pictures of beheaded people. According to Säpo, the boy idolises suicide bombers and is interested in knives, firearms and explosions. He has also praised the Islamic State and said that he will travel to Syria to kill.
In February 2025, four residents of Tyresö were convicted in the district court of participating in a terrorist organisation, following a crackdown on a basement mosque in Tyresö. The Nacka District Court found the men guilty of activities including recruiting for IS in Somalia, disseminating propaganda, undergoing weapons training, and providing advice. According to the verdict, one of the convicts had allegedly sworn allegiance to IS.
Three of the men were also found guilty of serious weapons offences. They received prison sentences of around six years each. The fourth man received a three-year sentence. In addition to participating in a terrorist organisation, the fourth man was convicted of inciting hatred against an ethnic group. Furthermore, three of the men were charged with preparing terrorist offences, but no one was convicted of this.
In June 2025, the Court of Appeal acquitted three of the men of participating in a terrorist organisation. The court did not consider it proven that they had acted on behalf of IS. Janina Kastevik, Court of Appeal counsel, said in a press release that the prosecution was largely based on opinions expressed by the men in various contexts, such as during intercepted conversations. Expressing an opinion or sympathy in favour of a terrorist organisation or its ideology was not enough for a conviction. There must be a concrete and substantiated link to the organisation. In this case, the Court of Appeal considered that such a connection had only been demonstrated in relation to one of the individuals, she said in the press release.
The fourth person, who had sworn allegiance to IS, was convicted, as in the district court, of participating in a terrorist organisation — a serious crime. The Court of Appeal ruled that he had placed himself under the leadership of IS and had demonstrated ‘willingness and readiness to participate in the activities of the organisation’.
They demonstrated ‘willingness and readiness to participate in the activities of the organisation’.
In June 2026, one of the four men applied for compensation for the suffering he endured while detained for over a year. However, the Chancellor of Justice (JK) concluded that he had deliberately put himself in a situation where he risked being suspected of a serious crime. ‘The applicant’s own behaviour has to a significant extent been the basis for the decision on the detention,’ the JK announced, denying the man compensation outright.
Sources: https://www.mitti.se/nyheter/man-friades-i-terrormal–nekas-ersattning-6.3.366086.0f00f6d621 and https://www.mitti.se/nyheter/svor-trohet-till-is–doms-for-terrorbrott-6.3.277910.7b1d0f6f51 and https://www.mitti.se/nyheter/efter-tillslaget-mot-kallarmosken–hovratten-frikanner-tre-6.3.301829.2343a060fb
A person has been arrested in Sweden on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act and participating in a terrorist organisation. According to the Stockholm District Court, the suspect was detained on 10 April following an investigation led by the Swedish Security Service (Säpo).
Authorities say the suspect is being held on probable cause, while the preliminary investigation remains ongoing. A court hearing is expected to take place in Stockholm on Saturday. Prosecutors described the allegations as serious, but officials have not released further details about the case.
Source: https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/sverige/person-anhallen-for-terroristbrott/
The court of Appeal of Svea has increased the sentence of a 19 years-old from Linkoping – Faris Al Abdullah – who had planned a terrorist attack during the Stockholm Cultural Festival in the summer 2024.
The young boy, who allegedly acted on behalf of ISIS, has been sentenced to nine years and ten months of prison, up from seven years and the months in the initial ruling. The charges include preparation of a terrorist act and serious participation in a terrorist organization.
Sources: https://www.dn.se/sverige/trodde-att-han-fatt-morduppdrag-av-is-straffet-skarps/ and https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/planerade-terrordad-pa-kulturfestival-nu-skarps-straffet
A man in his 20s from Malmö who was detained on suspicion of participating in a terrorist organization is no longer suspected of terrorist crimes. The man was remanded in custody on 27 February by Malmö District Court on suspicion of aggravated weapons offenses. Prosecutors have previously stated that the terrorism charges, which have now been dropped, related to alleged links to Hamas.
Source: https://swedenherald.com/article/malmo-resident-no-longer-suspected-of-terrorist-crimes
A 23 year old man from Malmo has been detained on suspicion of terrorism and aggravated weapons crime. According to the Swedish security service (Sapo), the suspicions are linked to violent Islamist extremists with connections to the terrorist organisation Hamas.
The investigation is being led by prosecutors from the national security unit. Sapo spokesperson Johan Wilkstrom confirmed that several items were seized during house searches conducted in multiple locations, but stated that is too early to specify the nature of the materials confiscated. He declined to comment further on the alleged Hamas connection or whether additional suspects are involved. The man has been referred to the Malmo District Court on suspicious of participation in a terrorist organisation, one serious offence, and two aggravated weapons offences. The alleged terrorism related activity is said to have taken place from last summer 2025 until his arrest. A detention hearing is expected to be held on Friday, according to the prosecution authority.
The young man had previously been convicted for his involvement in the 2020 Malmo riots that followed a planned Quran burning. During this riots, stones and other objects were thrown at the police officers, bus shelters were destroyed, police vehicles were damaged and tyres were set on fire. At that time, he was eighteen years old at that time, he received a suspended sentence and 50 hours of community services. He was later convicted under the knife act being stopped in a car with a baton.
In the same security investigation, another person has been arrested on suspicion of weapons-related offences.
A 23 year old man from Malmo has been detained on suspicion of terrorism and aggravated weapons crime. According to the Swedish security service (Sapo), the suspicions are linked to violent Islamist extremists with connections to the terrorist organisation Hamas.
The investigation is being led by prosecutors from the national security unit. Sapo spokesperson Johan Wilkstrom confirmed that several items were seized during house searches conducted in multiple locations, but stated that is too early to specify the nature of the materials confiscated. He declined to comment further on the alleged Hamas connection or whether additional suspects are involved. The man has been referred to the Malmo District Court on suspicious of participation in a terrorist organisation, one serious offence, and two aggravated weapons offences. The alleged terrorism related activity is said to have taken place from last summer 2025 until his arrest. A detention hearing is expected to be held on Friday, according to the prosecution authority.
The young man had previously been convicted for his involvement in the 2020 Malmo riots that followed a planned Quran burning. During this riots, stones and other objects were thrown at the police officers, bus shelters were destroyed, police vehicles were damaged and tyres were set on fire. At that time, he was eighteen years old at that time, he received a suspended sentence and 50 hours of community services. He was later convicted under the knife act being stopped in a car with a baton.
In the same security investigation, another person has been arrested on suspicion of weapons-related offences.
Fares Abdullah, 19 years old, has been sentenced by the Swedish court to seven years and ten months in prison for planning terrorist attacks and for membership in the Islamic State. He was arrested in 2025 after an undercover operation. He had also planned a suicide attack at the Kungstradgarden Culture Festival in Stockholm and a murder in Germany in 2024. He admitted the charges, including spreading bomb-making instructions and pledging allegiance to ISIS.
A six week undercover police operation revealed his strong intent to carry out attacks using weapons and explosives. Abdullah admitted his involvement with ISIS, preparing terrorist acts, distributing bomb making instructions, and recording a “martyrdom” video. He was arrested while attempting to acquire materials for explosives after conducting reconnaissance in Stockholm with an undercover officer.
In Germany, the court found that Abdullah and a minor accomplice had planned a killing in Eppstein, but they were sentenced for preparation and not for attempted murder. His sentence was lower than the prosecution’s request due to his status at the time of some offenses.
Sources: https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/krim/faris-al-abdullah-atalad-for-terroristbrott-dom-i-dag-/ https://www.dn.se/sverige/man-begars-haktad-for-terrorbrott-kopplas-till-hamas/ and https://syriacpress.com/blog/2026/01/22/swedish-court-sentences-syrian-fares-abdullah-to-seven-years-in-prison-for-membership-of-isis-and-planning-terrorist-attacks/
An investigation by the Swedish news “Expressen” revealed that over one billion Swedish kronor in public funds intended for preschools and primary schools was allegedly diverted through a welfare fraud network linked to Islamist circles. Several schools have been shut down, while others are under investigation for financial crimes. Among the cases, former MP Abdirizak Waberi was convicted of embezzling school funds, some of which were reportedly transferred abroad or used for personal expenses.
The investigation also mentions religious figures such as Abo Raad and Hussein al-Jibury, linked to financial management of certain institutions. Other individuals allegedly moved funds abroad or to extremist organizations. Swedish authorities are tightening oversight on schools and financial flows, while investigation and legal proceedings continue.
Source: https://www.jpost.com/international/islamic-terrorism/article-875084
Swedish prosecutors have charged a 23-year-old Swedish-Syrian man with multiple terrorism offences, accusing him of twice attempting to travel to Somalia to join the Islamic State, financing the group through digital currencies, and receiving instructions on how to make explosives.
According to court documents, the man travelled in September 2023 through Ethiopia and in March 2024 via Saudi Arabia in separate attempts to enter Somalia, but was detained both times. Ethiopian officials reportedly intercepted him near the Somali border during his first attempt, while Somali authorities stopped him during his second attempt.
The trial is scheduled to begin on Dec. 3 at Attunda District Court and is expected to last three days.
The Svea Court of Appeal in Sweden has confirmed an earlier judgment of 12 years imprisonment against a Swedish citizen in a first-ever case of genocide through the transfer of children, in Syria and Iraq.
The convicted Swedish citizen joined ISIS and moved her family to Syria in 2013. In February 2025, she was sentenced to twelve years’ imprisonment for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes – so-called core international crimes – committed against nine Ezidi victims. Six of these victims were children under the age of seven at the time.
An 18-year-old man was indicted for preparation of a terrorist crime in central Stockholm, Sweden. Together with a 17-year-old man, he is also charged with attempted murder in Germany in August 2024. According to the indictment, the suspects have links to violent Islamist terrorism.
According to Deputy Chief Prosecutor Henrik Olin, an attack in Kungsträdgården in Stockholm was prevented. It was planned to carry out by the 18-year-old man.
The preparations allegedly took place between 1 August, 2024, and 11 February 2025 in Skåne and Stockholm. According to the investigation, the 18-year-old conducted reconnaissance at the intended crime scene, handled components for manufacturing explosives, purchased clothing adapted for the act, and acquired a body camera.
According to the indictment, the two men planned to murder a man in a small town in southern Germany on 14 August, 2024. They travelled to Germany from Sweden, armed themselves with a knife, and scouted the intended victim’s residence, where they knocked on the door. Another person opened the door, causing the murder plans to be aborted.
The men are also charged with participation in a terrorist organisation, gross crime.
They have sworn allegiance to the Islamic State, and the investigation shows that the 18-year-old had instructions on how to build and use explosive devices intended for terrorist acts. The 18-year-old is also charged with preparation for an offense under the act on flammable and explosive goods, a serious crime, as well as training for terrorism, gross crime.
Osama Krayem has been sentenced to life imprisonment in Sweden for his involvement in the killing of Jordanian pilot Muath Al- Kasasbeh, who was captured and killed by ISIS in Syria in 2014.
According to prosecutors, Krayem took part in the execution by guarding the victim during his prison. The court described the killing as one of the most brutal crimes committed by the group.
Krayem, who grew up in Malmo, joined ISIS the same year. During the trial, he admitted that he was being present but denied direct involvement.
He had already been convicted for the 2015 Paris attacks and the 2016 Brussels attack. He is currently serving a 30 year sentence in France and also received a life sentence in Belgium.
Following the Swedish proceedings, he is expected to be extradited to France.
Swedish authorities secured a conviction under a newly expanded terrorism law, sentencing a 22-year-old man to three years in prison for financing terrorism and participating in a terrorist organization.
The individual had traveled to Somalia multiple times, pledged allegiance to ISIS, and upon returning to Sweden, continued supporting the terrorist group, including by sending cryptocurrency to ISIS-affiliated fundraising campaigns.
The Court of Appeal in Sweden acquitted three men previously convicted by the Nacka District Court for alleged involvement in activities linked to the Islamic State in Somalia, citing insufficient evidence of concrete participation in the organization. A fourth defendant, however, was convicted after pledging allegiance to ISIS, which the court deemed sufficient to establish membership in a terrorist organization.
The four men had been arrested in March 2024 during a high-profile operation conducted by the Swedish Security Service in Tyreso near Stockholm. They had been accused of involvement with ISIS between 2023 and 2024 and all pleaded not guilty.
The court emphasized that expressing sympathy or opinions in favour of ISIS is not punishable without evidence of operational involvement. The three acquitted defendants had also faced charges related to the preparation of terrorist acts, but were cleared of those accusations in both court instances. However, they were convicted of serious firearms offenses.
The sentences for the lesser offenses ranged from three years and ten months to four years and ten months in prison, while the oldest defendant received a suspended sentence for incitement to racial hatred. It remains unclear whether prosecutors will appeal the acquittals.
Sources: https://entrevue.fr/en/monde/suede-un-homme-condamne-pour-appartenance-a-letat-islamique-trois-autres-acquittes/ and https://swedenherald.com/article/three-terror-convicts-acquitted-by-svea-court-of-appeal
A Swedish court found four men guilty of belonging to Islamic State, carrying out activities such as recruitment and weapons training for the organisation, and sentenced them to between three and six-and-half years in prison.
The Nacka District Court said in a statement that varying acts by the men, all of whom are Swedish citizens, between 2023 and 2024 showed they were part of the Islamic militant group IS in Somalia. The activities have included recruitment for the organisation, disseminating of propaganda, weapons training and counselling.
Three of the four men had also been charged with preparation of a terrorist crime in Sweden in the name of IS in 2023 and 2024, but were acquitted of the charge.
Omar Yasser Ahmed Atia, 21, who was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison; Rasmus Erik Johansson, 23, who was sentenced to five and a half years in prison; Elyas Mohamed Hakamali, 63, who was sentenced to three years in prison and Daniel Elias Johansson, 25, who was sentenced to six years.
A Swedish court has sentenced a 22-year-old man to three years and three months in prison for participating in the Islamic State, financing terrorism, and traveling abroad for terrorist purposes. It is the first conviction under Sweden’s new law criminalizing participation in terrorist organizations, introduced in 2023.
The crimes were linked to travel to Somalia and support for ISIS. The legislation followed years of stricter counterterrorism laws after attacks such as the 2017 truck attack in Stockholm.
The law required constitutional changes due to concerns over freedom of association, and its adoption also took place amid political pressure related to Sweden’s NATO membership bid and Turkey’s demands for stronger action against extremist groups.
A Swedish woman, Lina Ishaq, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for war crimes committed against the Yazidi people during her involvement with the Islamic State in Syria. She was born in Iraq and lives in Sweden, she became radicalized after converting to Islam and travelled to Syria in 2013 with her children. In Sweden she married an ISIS fighter. The court found her guilty of enslaving nine individuals, including women and children, subjecting them to forced labour, abuse, and forced conversions. In addition to her prison sentence, she was ordered to pay compensation to the victims.
Swedish police have apprehended one person in the Stockholm area on suspicion of preparing terrorist crimes in a case concerning violent Islamist extremism. The person was suspected of preparation for a terrorist offense, aggravated participation in a terrorist organization, preparation for attempted murder and preparing to violate legislation on the use of explosives.
Swedish authorities have launched legal proceedings against a 32 years old Swedish citizen, Osama Krayem, accusing him of serious war crimes and terrorism linked to the Islamic State. The man has been involved in the killing of a pilot from the Royal Jordanian Air Force, who was captured in 2014 near Raqqa after his aircraft was shot down, and executed between December 2014 and February 2015 by being buried alive in a metal cage – an act filmed and widely distributed for propaganda purposes.
Prosecutors say Krayem actively participated in the execution, helping force the victim into the cage that was later set on fire. They described it as a severe violation of the laws of war and an act of extreme cruelty.
Alongside the charges, prosecutors have requested his detention and are considering transferring him to Sweden for trial, expected to take place in Stockholm. The investigation is being carried out jointly by police and security services.
Krayem has already been convicted for his involvement in the 2015 Paris attacks and the 2016 Brussels bombings, and is currently serving a prison sentence in France. He has previously denied the allegations related to the pilot’s killing.
Source: https://www.aklagare.se/en/for-the-media/press-releases/2025/january/swedish-citizen-requested-to-be-detained-for-severe-war-crimes-and-terrorist-crimes/ and https://www.euronews.com/2025/05/28/sweden-charges-man-over-2015-killing-of-jordanian-pilot-burned-alive-in-syria
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