2010 Stockholm bombings
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Stockholm bombings occurred on 11 December 2010 when two bombs exploded in central Stockholm
, Sweden, killing the bomber and injuring two people. Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs
Carl Bildt
and the Swedish Security Service
(SÄPO) described the bombings as acts of terrorism
.
Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly, an Iraqi-born Swedish
citizen, is suspected of carrying out the bombing. The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation described the event as the first suicide attack
linked to Islamic terrorism in the Nordic countries
.
On 8 March 2011 Strathclyde Police
in Scotland arrested a 30-year old man in the Whiteinch
area of Glasgow in connection with the Stockholm bombing. He was arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000
, for "aiding terrorist activity" outwith Scotland, and held at Helen Street police station
, the most secure police station in the country.
automobile exploded at the intersection of Olof Palmes Gata and Drottninggatan. According to the fire services the car contained bottles with liquefied petroleum gas which resulted in several more explosions. Two people at the site of the car explosion were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The second bombing occurred at about 17:00 CET, at the intersection of Bryggargatan and Drottninggatan. A man’s body, with blast injuries to his abdomen, was discovered nearby. According to a police spokesman the man had blown himself up. According to Aftonbladet
, the man carried six pipe bomb
s but only one of them triggered, killing him. Close to the man a metal pipe and a rucksack filled with metal fasteners and an unknown substance suspected to be an explosive were found. Witnesses claim the bomber was "shouting something in Arabic" before detonating the bomb which killed him.
CCTV footage of the second explosion was published on the next day by Aftonbladet.
At the time of the explosions, central Stockholm was filled with Christmas shoppers and thousands of people were nearby. Foreign Minister Bildt expressed his concern that had the attack been successful, the consequences could have been "truly catastrophic."
The bombing follows a November increase in the terror alert level in Sweden from low to elevated because of a "shift in activities among Swedish-based groups" that could be plotting attacks.
and the Swedish news agency Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå
(TT). The letter referred in particular to the presence of Swedish troops in Afghanistan
and the Swedish artist Lars Vilks
' drawings
of the Islamic prophet Muhammad
as a roundabout dog
. The letter furthermore said: "Now will your children, daughters and sisters die the same way our brothers and sisters die. Our actions will speak for themselves. As long as you don't end your war against Islam and degradation against the prophet and your foolish support for the pig [Lars] Vilks." The message ended with a call to "all Mujahedin in Europe and Sweden. Now is the time to strike, wait no longer. Go forward with whatever you have, even if it is a knife, and I know you have more than a knife. Fear no one, don't fear prison, don't fear death." Included were also sound files spoken in Swedish and Arabic.
with wires attached was found near the body, suggesting that the bomb was supposed to be triggered remotely. The state prosecutor said the action was well organised and that authorities presumed the man had help with preparations. The man was wearing a bomb belt and also carried a big bomb and held a metal object in his hands which most closely could be described as a pressure cooker. The prosecutor also said that it is believed that the bomb exploded prematurely and speculated the suspect was on his way to the Stockholm central station or Åhlens
, a large department store nearby.
The media reported that a woman "close to" the suspect was detained in a 4:00 raid of a Hässelby flat by the National Task Force.
A search warrant was issued for a property in Bedfordshire the next day under the UK Terrorism Act 2000
. According to the Daily Mail, the suspect lived with his wife and two children in Luton, UK, and had only recently travelled to Sweden.
On 13 December, SÄPO announced that seven explosives experts from the FBI
will assist the investigation. Security services told TV4 that the suicide bomber's car contained a second pressure cooker bomb. Witnesses have come forward saying that the man tried to buy aluminium powder in his parents' home town of Tranås, four days before the bombing.
Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå reported that a member of the Swedish Armed Forces
warned an acquaintance to keep away from Drottninggatan several hours ahead of the bombings. The message read, "If you can, avoid Drottninggatan today. A lot can happen there...just so you know." The Swedish Armed Forces denied having any prior knowledge of the attack but promised to investigate the matter further. The Security Service launched an independent investigation. Later, the newspaper Expressen reported that several sources with insight in the investigation claimed a second government employee had information about the bombing ahead of time.
Swedish terrorism expert Magnus Ranstorp
from the Swedish National Defence College said he believed the perpetrator wasn't working alone. A coughing sound heard on the audio message left by the perpetrator increased suspicions that the bomber had other accomplices.
Investigations showed that the terrorist used at least three different passports to avoid raising any red flags when traveling to the middle east.
Suspicions that Taimour Abdulwahab had an accomplice was strengthened in January 2011 when media reported that uncensored recordings of the terrorist's audio message was published on youtube the day after he died. Shortly afterwards, Swedish TV4 reported that Abdulwahab's wife Mona Thwany uploaded the recordings to their Youtube account, "mona123timo".
and the muslima.com dating site, where he was looking for a second wife
, he was a 28-year-old Iraqi Swede, born in Baghdad
, who grew up in Tranås
and who was naturalized as a Swedish citizen
in 1992.
After graduating from secondary school in Sweden in 2001, he studied at the University of Bedfordshire
in the UK, graduating with a degree in sports therapy in 2004. The same year he married a Swedish citizen, named Mona Thwany or "Umm Amira", born in Bucharest
to a Romanian
Christian mother and Iraqi Muslim father, with whom he had two daughters, born in 2007 and 2009, and a son born in 2010. He named his son Osama in honour of al-Qaeda
leader Osama bin Laden
. At the time of the bombings, he was living in Luton
, Bedfordshire
, with his wife, who also holds fundamentalist Islamic views. Their children are reportedly still in Luton. He travelled back to Sweden on 19 November to visit his relatives in Tranås
.
During his stay in Britain he resided in Luton for almost a decade.
Reports indicated he had steadily become more religious as well as angry over the later 2000s. During Ramadan
in 2007, he tried to recruit other Muslims who shared his political views at the Luton mosque when he was given a chance to preach, but stormed out of the mosque when confronted over his beliefs, and was eventually kept away from the mosque. His Facebook
profile was reported as containing a mixture of technophile and Islamic fundamentalist attitudes, combining statements like "I love my Apple iPad" with references to "the Islamic Caliphate state
" or Yawm al-Qiyamah.
Prime Minister
Fredrik Reinfeldt
held a press conference on 12 December 2010 where he gave the following comment: "Saturday´s events in central Stockholm lead many people to ask whether Sweden has become less safe. What occurred is unwanted and unacceptable. We must safeguard the open society where people can live together side by side." Minister for Foreign Affairs
Carl Bildt
posted a message on Twitter
on 11 December 2010 that read: "Most worrying attempt at terrorist attack in crowded part of central Stockholm. Failed — but could have been truly catastrophic." Swedish Security Service spokesman Mikael Gunnarsson said the agency had not taken any decision to increase the terror threat level after the bombings "and apart from the e-mail we didn't have any other indications or threats that this would happen."
Hassan Moussa
, the imam of Stockholm's grand mosque
, condemned: "all forms of attacks, violence, fears and threats against innocent people, whatever the motive or pretext" in a statement sent to Swedish news agency TT. On 14 December, he issued a fatwa
against the suicide bomber saying: "It's forbidden to approve what has happened or try to justify it. Those who accept it or justify it are as guilty as the perpetrator himself."
Oman Mustafa, chairman of the Islamic Federation in Sweden said in an interview that "This is an attack on Sweden and on all Muslims in Sweden." Together with Ben Mahmoud Rahman, the imam and chairman of the Islamic Federation of Europe, the Islamic Federation in Sweden also issued a press release condemning such attacks: "Attacks like this have been carried out earlier in both Muslim and non-Muslim communities (such as in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Spain and the UK) and then the Muslim scholars and theologians' position has been unanimously against such attacks. Also, important Islamic institutions and Muslim inter-governmental organisations, such as Al-Azhar University
, the European Council for Fatwa
, Organisation of the Islamic Conference, have all been united in that all terrorist attacks against civilians and innocent people is strictly prohibited and that it is not permissible to oppress, harm or intimidate others." After this press released was issued, the attack was condemned during Friday prayer in Stockholm's grand mosque
.
Kevin Rudd
issued a statement reading: "I express grave concern at the apparent terrorist attack in a central Stockholm yesterday evening (local time). The attack was timed to cause maximum casualties in a high density shopping precinct. [...] I express Australia's solidarity with Sweden in denouncing this outrage, and our commitment to ongoing efforts to counter terrorism."
Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Lene Espersen
issued a statement reading: "The bombings in the heart of the Swedish capital yesterday fortunately didn't claim any innocent human lives. But the bombs show that there unfortunately are forces in our proximity that try to undermine our Western way of life and values through bombs and violence. They'll never succeed at that. Terrorism shall be combatted, irrespectively of where it occurs and in what form. I've today been in contact with my Swedish colleague, Carl Bildt, and assured him that Denmark in the fight against terrorism stands closely with our brotherland."
Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb
expressed his concern over the bombings and pointed out that nothing similar had ever happened in the Nordic countries before. He also expressed his support to the efforts of the Swedish government.
German Federal Foreign Minister
Guido Westerwelle
issued a press release reading: "I condemn yesterday’s suicide attack in Stockholm, in the heart of a European capital. Attacks such as this one remind us that we must remain fully committed to the fight against terrorism."
Iraq's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
issued a statement that read: " The Capital of the Sweden Kingdom ,Stockholm, was subject to a cowardly terrorist act causing the fall of civilian victims, and stimulated horror in the peaceful country, especially as it prepares itself to celebrate Christmas and the New Year.Recalling the terrorist acts that have plagued Iraq , the Iraqi Foreign Ministry deplores and strongly condemns this criminal act of terrorism and declares its solidarity with the Government and the friendly people of Sweden in confronting terrorism, and prays the Almighty to safeguard its people from the badness of extremists and terrorists."
Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre
said to the Norwegian News Agency
: "I strongly condemn what appears to have been an attempt at a terrorist attack in Stockholm yesterday. The fight against international crime and terrorism can be won only through broad international cooperation. Norway and Sweden are united in this struggle." Minister of Justice and the Police
Knut Storberget
was quoted by Verdens Gang
as saying: "We react with disgust to these kind of events. It is very sad that this happens."
Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
issued a statement reading: "Pakistan strongly condemns the two terrorist explosions in central Stockholm on 12 December 2010 and condoles with the bereaved families. Terrorism is a global menace and can be addressed effectively only through genuine and sustained international cooperation and understanding."
A spokesman for the Saudi Arabian government strongly condemned the attack in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency
.
Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
issued a statement reading: "It is with sadness that we condemn the hateful terrorist attack that occurred in Stockholm. [...] Turkey, which has always underlined the importance of international cooperation in the fight against terrorism ... wants to express its solidarity with its friends, the Swedish people and government, in these difficult days."
The embassy of the United States in Stockholm issued a statement reading: "The United States strongly condemns the suspected terrorist attack that occurred in Stockholm yesterday. The American people stand together with our Swedish friends at this difficult time."
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden, killing the bomber and injuring two people. Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Sweden)
The Minister for Foreign Affairs is the foreign minister of Sweden and the head of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.The office was instituted in 1809 as a result of the constitutional Instrument of Government promulgated in the same year. Until 1876 the office was called Prime Minister for Foreign...
Carl Bildt
Carl Bildt
, Honorary KCMG is a Swedish politician, diplomat and nobleman. Formerly Prime Minister of Sweden from 1991 to 1994 and leader of the liberal conservative Moderate Party from 1986 to 1999, Bildt has served as Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs since 6 October 2006...
and the Swedish Security Service
Swedish Security Service
The Swedish Security Service , former name Rikspolisstyrelsens säkerhetsavdelning , is the security service of Sweden, belonging to the Swedish National Police Board....
(SÄPO) described the bombings as acts of terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
.
Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly, an Iraqi-born Swedish
Iraqis in Sweden
Iraqis in Sweden numbered at 118,000 people as of 2009, or 1.3% of the total population of Sweden.They are one of the largest ethnic minority groups living in Sweden, second to the Sweden Finns ....
citizen, is suspected of carrying out the bombing. The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation described the event as the first suicide attack
Suicide attack
A suicide attack is a type of attack in which the attacker expects or intends to die in the process.- Historical :...
linked to Islamic terrorism in the Nordic countries
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
.
On 8 March 2011 Strathclyde Police
Strathclyde Police
Strathclyde Police is the territorial police force responsible for the Scottish council areas of Argyll and Bute, City of Glasgow, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and West...
in Scotland arrested a 30-year old man in the Whiteinch
Whiteinch
Whiteinch is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde between the Partick and Scotstoun areas of the city...
area of Glasgow in connection with the Stockholm bombing. He was arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000
Terrorism Act 2000
The Terrorism Act 2000 is the first of a number of general Terrorism Acts passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It superseded and repealed the Prevention of Terrorism Act 1989 and the Northern Ireland Act 1996...
, for "aiding terrorist activity" outwith Scotland, and held at Helen Street police station
Helen Street police station
Helen Street police station in Glasgow is the most secure police station in Scotland. It is used for example for detaining suspects arrested under the Terrorism Act....
, the most secure police station in the country.
Bombings
The first explosion occurred at 16:48 CET, when an Audi 80 AvantAudi 80
The Audi 80 is a compact executive car produced by the German car manufacturer Audi, from 1966 to 1996. It shared its platform with the Volkswagen Passat from 1973 to 1986 and was available as a saloon car/sedan, and an Avant...
automobile exploded at the intersection of Olof Palmes Gata and Drottninggatan. According to the fire services the car contained bottles with liquefied petroleum gas which resulted in several more explosions. Two people at the site of the car explosion were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The second bombing occurred at about 17:00 CET, at the intersection of Bryggargatan and Drottninggatan. A man’s body, with blast injuries to his abdomen, was discovered nearby. According to a police spokesman the man had blown himself up. According to Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet is a Swedish tabloid founded by Lars Johan Hierta in 1830 during the modernization of Sweden. It is one of the larger daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. Aftonbladet is owned by the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and Norwegian media group Schibsted, and its editorial page...
, the man carried six pipe bomb
Pipe bomb
A pipe bomb is an improvised explosive device, a tightly sealed section of pipe filled with an explosive material. The containment provided by the pipe means that simple low explosives can be used to produce a relatively large explosion, and the fragmentation of the pipe itself creates potentially...
s but only one of them triggered, killing him. Close to the man a metal pipe and a rucksack filled with metal fasteners and an unknown substance suspected to be an explosive were found. Witnesses claim the bomber was "shouting something in Arabic" before detonating the bomb which killed him.
CCTV footage of the second explosion was published on the next day by Aftonbladet.
At the time of the explosions, central Stockholm was filled with Christmas shoppers and thousands of people were nearby. Foreign Minister Bildt expressed his concern that had the attack been successful, the consequences could have been "truly catastrophic."
The bombing follows a November increase in the terror alert level in Sweden from low to elevated because of a "shift in activities among Swedish-based groups" that could be plotting attacks.
Email threat
About ten minutes before the explosions, a threatening email was sent to the Swedish Security ServiceSwedish Security Service
The Swedish Security Service , former name Rikspolisstyrelsens säkerhetsavdelning , is the security service of Sweden, belonging to the Swedish National Police Board....
and the Swedish news agency Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå
Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå
Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå – The Newspapers' Telegram Bureau – is a Swedish news agency, the largest in Scandinavia, owned jointly by the country's newspapers and the media groups behind them. TT's services are used as the exclusive source of national news by many local media outlets...
(TT). The letter referred in particular to the presence of Swedish troops in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and the Swedish artist Lars Vilks
Lars Vilks
Lars Endel Roger Vilks is a Swedish artist. He is best known for his drawings of Muhammed, prophet of Islam.- Personal background :...
' drawings
Lars Vilks Muhammad drawings controversy
The Lars Vilks Muhammad drawings controversy began in July 2007 with a series of drawings by Swedish artist Lars Vilks that depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad as a roundabout dog . Several art galleries in Sweden declined to show the drawings, citing security concerns and fear of violence...
of the Islamic prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
as a roundabout dog
Roundabout dog
A roundabout dog is a form of street installation, that began occurring in the autumn of 2006, and continued for the rest of the year with sporadic occurrences since then. The phenomenon consists of anonymous people placing homemade dog sculptures, typically made of wood in roundabouts...
. The letter furthermore said: "Now will your children, daughters and sisters die the same way our brothers and sisters die. Our actions will speak for themselves. As long as you don't end your war against Islam and degradation against the prophet and your foolish support for the pig [Lars] Vilks." The message ended with a call to "all Mujahedin in Europe and Sweden. Now is the time to strike, wait no longer. Go forward with whatever you have, even if it is a knife, and I know you have more than a knife. Fear no one, don't fear prison, don't fear death." Included were also sound files spoken in Swedish and Arabic.
Investigation
A PMR radioPMR446
PMR446 is a part of the UHF radio frequency range that is open without licensing for personal usage in most countries of the European Union. It has roughly the same use as FRS or GMRS in the United States and Canada. Depending on surrounding terrain range can vary from a few hundred metres to a...
with wires attached was found near the body, suggesting that the bomb was supposed to be triggered remotely. The state prosecutor said the action was well organised and that authorities presumed the man had help with preparations. The man was wearing a bomb belt and also carried a big bomb and held a metal object in his hands which most closely could be described as a pressure cooker. The prosecutor also said that it is believed that the bomb exploded prematurely and speculated the suspect was on his way to the Stockholm central station or Åhlens
Åhléns
Åhléns is a Swedish chain of department stores, located in almost every city in the country, and with several stores in the major cities, including 18 stores in Stockholm alone . Åhléns also has business operations in Norway. It is one of Sweden’s leading retailers in a number of fields...
, a large department store nearby.
The media reported that a woman "close to" the suspect was detained in a 4:00 raid of a Hässelby flat by the National Task Force.
A search warrant was issued for a property in Bedfordshire the next day under the UK Terrorism Act 2000
Terrorism Act 2000
The Terrorism Act 2000 is the first of a number of general Terrorism Acts passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It superseded and repealed the Prevention of Terrorism Act 1989 and the Northern Ireland Act 1996...
. According to the Daily Mail, the suspect lived with his wife and two children in Luton, UK, and had only recently travelled to Sweden.
On 13 December, SÄPO announced that seven explosives experts from the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
will assist the investigation. Security services told TV4 that the suicide bomber's car contained a second pressure cooker bomb. Witnesses have come forward saying that the man tried to buy aluminium powder in his parents' home town of Tranås, four days before the bombing.
Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå reported that a member of the Swedish Armed Forces
Swedish Armed Forces
The Swedish Armed Forces is a Swedish Government Agency responsible for the operation of the armed forces of the Realm. The primary task of the agency is to train, organize and to deploy military forces, domestically and abroad, while maintaining the long-term ability to defend the Realm in the...
warned an acquaintance to keep away from Drottninggatan several hours ahead of the bombings. The message read, "If you can, avoid Drottninggatan today. A lot can happen there...just so you know." The Swedish Armed Forces denied having any prior knowledge of the attack but promised to investigate the matter further. The Security Service launched an independent investigation. Later, the newspaper Expressen reported that several sources with insight in the investigation claimed a second government employee had information about the bombing ahead of time.
Swedish terrorism expert Magnus Ranstorp
Magnus Ranstorp
Dr Magnus Ranstorp, born March 13, 1965 in Hästveda, studies Hizballah, Hamas, al-Qaeda and other militant Islamic movements. He is the Research Director of the Centre for Asymmetric Threat Studies at the Swedish National Defence College, directing a project on Strategic Terrorist Threats to Europe...
from the Swedish National Defence College said he believed the perpetrator wasn't working alone. A coughing sound heard on the audio message left by the perpetrator increased suspicions that the bomber had other accomplices.
Investigations showed that the terrorist used at least three different passports to avoid raising any red flags when traveling to the middle east.
Suspicions that Taimour Abdulwahab had an accomplice was strengthened in January 2011 when media reported that uncensored recordings of the terrorist's audio message was published on youtube the day after he died. Shortly afterwards, Swedish TV4 reported that Abdulwahab's wife Mona Thwany uploaded the recordings to their Youtube account, "mona123timo".
Suspect
The primary suspect is Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly (12 December 1981 – 11 December 2010). Based on information from the suspect's profile on FacebookFacebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and the muslima.com dating site, where he was looking for a second wife
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
, he was a 28-year-old Iraqi Swede, born in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, who grew up in Tranås
Tranås
Tranås is a locality and the seat of Tranås Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 14,017 inhabitants in 2005.-Overview:It is close to the lake Sommen in the north of Småland. Its main commercial center is located along the main street, Storgatan. The symbol of the town is the crane as...
and who was naturalized as a Swedish citizen
Swedish nationality law
Swedish nationality law determines entitlement to Swedish citizenship. Citizenship of Sweden is based primarily on the principle of jus sanguinis...
in 1992.
After graduating from secondary school in Sweden in 2001, he studied at the University of Bedfordshire
University of Bedfordshire
The University of Bedfordshire is based in Luton and Bedford, the two largest towns in the English county of Bedfordshire. The university was created by the merger of the University of Luton and the Bedford campus of De Montfort University on 1 August 2006 following approval by the Privy Council...
in the UK, graduating with a degree in sports therapy in 2004. The same year he married a Swedish citizen, named Mona Thwany or "Umm Amira", born in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
to a Romanian
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
Christian mother and Iraqi Muslim father, with whom he had two daughters, born in 2007 and 2009, and a son born in 2010. He named his son Osama in honour of al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
leader Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
. At the time of the bombings, he was living in Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, with his wife, who also holds fundamentalist Islamic views. Their children are reportedly still in Luton. He travelled back to Sweden on 19 November to visit his relatives in Tranås
Tranås
Tranås is a locality and the seat of Tranås Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 14,017 inhabitants in 2005.-Overview:It is close to the lake Sommen in the north of Småland. Its main commercial center is located along the main street, Storgatan. The symbol of the town is the crane as...
.
During his stay in Britain he resided in Luton for almost a decade.
Reports indicated he had steadily become more religious as well as angry over the later 2000s. During Ramadan
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
in 2007, he tried to recruit other Muslims who shared his political views at the Luton mosque when he was given a chance to preach, but stormed out of the mosque when confronted over his beliefs, and was eventually kept away from the mosque. His Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
profile was reported as containing a mixture of technophile and Islamic fundamentalist attitudes, combining statements like "I love my Apple iPad" with references to "the Islamic Caliphate state
Pan-Islamism
Pan-Islamism is a political movement advocating the unity of Muslims under one Islamic state — often a Caliphate. As a form of religious nationalism, Pan-Islamism differentiates itself from other pan-nationalistic ideologies, for example Pan-Arabism, by excluding culture and ethnicity as primary...
" or Yawm al-Qiyamah.
Domestic
Prime MinisterPrime Minister of Sweden
The Prime Minister is the head of government in the Kingdom of Sweden. Before the creation of the office of a Prime Minister in 1876, Sweden did not have a head of government separate from its head of state, namely the King, in whom the executive authority was vested...
Fredrik Reinfeldt
Fredrik Reinfeldt
John Fredrik Reinfeldt is the Prime Minister of Sweden, leader of the liberal conservative Moderate Party and former President of the European Council...
held a press conference on 12 December 2010 where he gave the following comment: "Saturday´s events in central Stockholm lead many people to ask whether Sweden has become less safe. What occurred is unwanted and unacceptable. We must safeguard the open society where people can live together side by side." Minister for Foreign Affairs
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Sweden)
The Minister for Foreign Affairs is the foreign minister of Sweden and the head of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.The office was instituted in 1809 as a result of the constitutional Instrument of Government promulgated in the same year. Until 1876 the office was called Prime Minister for Foreign...
Carl Bildt
Carl Bildt
, Honorary KCMG is a Swedish politician, diplomat and nobleman. Formerly Prime Minister of Sweden from 1991 to 1994 and leader of the liberal conservative Moderate Party from 1986 to 1999, Bildt has served as Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs since 6 October 2006...
posted a message on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
on 11 December 2010 that read: "Most worrying attempt at terrorist attack in crowded part of central Stockholm. Failed — but could have been truly catastrophic." Swedish Security Service spokesman Mikael Gunnarsson said the agency had not taken any decision to increase the terror threat level after the bombings "and apart from the e-mail we didn't have any other indications or threats that this would happen."
Hassan Moussa
Hassan Moussa
Sheikh Hassan Moussa is the leading imam of the Stockholm Mosque at Medborgarplatsen. The mosque is run by the Islamiska Förbundet i Stockholm. A Svenska Dagbladet report accused him of deliberately misleading the Swedish public regarding the controversial contents of his sermons.-Notes:...
, the imam of Stockholm's grand mosque
Stockholm Mosque
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's Mosque , commonly known as the Stockholm Mosque or the Stockholm Grand Mosque , is the largest mosque in Stockholm, Sweden. It is located at Kapellgränd 10, adjacent to the small park Björns trädgård, in the Södermalm district of Stockholm...
, condemned: "all forms of attacks, violence, fears and threats against innocent people, whatever the motive or pretext" in a statement sent to Swedish news agency TT. On 14 December, he issued a fatwa
Fatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
against the suicide bomber saying: "It's forbidden to approve what has happened or try to justify it. Those who accept it or justify it are as guilty as the perpetrator himself."
Oman Mustafa, chairman of the Islamic Federation in Sweden said in an interview that "This is an attack on Sweden and on all Muslims in Sweden." Together with Ben Mahmoud Rahman, the imam and chairman of the Islamic Federation of Europe, the Islamic Federation in Sweden also issued a press release condemning such attacks: "Attacks like this have been carried out earlier in both Muslim and non-Muslim communities (such as in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Spain and the UK) and then the Muslim scholars and theologians' position has been unanimously against such attacks. Also, important Islamic institutions and Muslim inter-governmental organisations, such as Al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University is an educational institute in Cairo, Egypt. Founded in 970~972 as a madrasa, it is the chief centre of Arabic literature and Islamic learning in the world. It is the oldest degree-granting university in Egypt. In 1961 non-religious subjects were added to its curriculum.It is...
, the European Council for Fatwa
European Council for Fatwa and Research
The European Council for Fatwa and Research is a Dublin-based private foundation, founded in London on 29 March - 30 March 1997 on the initiative of the Federation of Islamic Organisations in Europe...
, Organisation of the Islamic Conference, have all been united in that all terrorist attacks against civilians and innocent people is strictly prohibited and that it is not permissible to oppress, harm or intimidate others." After this press released was issued, the attack was condemned during Friday prayer in Stockholm's grand mosque
Stockholm Mosque
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's Mosque , commonly known as the Stockholm Mosque or the Stockholm Grand Mosque , is the largest mosque in Stockholm, Sweden. It is located at Kapellgränd 10, adjacent to the small park Björns trädgård, in the Södermalm district of Stockholm...
.
International
Australian Minister for Foreign AffairsMinister for Foreign Affairs (Australia)
In the Government of Australia, the Minister for Foreign Affairs is responsible for overseeing the international diplomacy section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In common with international practice, the office is often informally referred to as Foreign Minister...
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
issued a statement reading: "I express grave concern at the apparent terrorist attack in a central Stockholm yesterday evening (local time). The attack was timed to cause maximum casualties in a high density shopping precinct. [...] I express Australia's solidarity with Sweden in denouncing this outrage, and our commitment to ongoing efforts to counter terrorism."
Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Lene Espersen
Lene Espersen
Lene Espersen is a Danish politician and member of parliament who has been Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs since 23 February 2010 and was leader of the Conservative People's Party and Deputy Prime Minister from 9 September 2008 to 13 January 2011...
issued a statement reading: "The bombings in the heart of the Swedish capital yesterday fortunately didn't claim any innocent human lives. But the bombs show that there unfortunately are forces in our proximity that try to undermine our Western way of life and values through bombs and violence. They'll never succeed at that. Terrorism shall be combatted, irrespectively of where it occurs and in what form. I've today been in contact with my Swedish colleague, Carl Bildt, and assured him that Denmark in the fight against terrorism stands closely with our brotherland."
Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb
Alexander Stubb
Cai-Göran Alexander Stubb is a Finnish politician and Minister for Foreign Affairs from 4 April 2008 to 22 June 2011...
expressed his concern over the bombings and pointed out that nothing similar had ever happened in the Nordic countries before. He also expressed his support to the efforts of the Swedish government.
German Federal Foreign Minister
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany)
The Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs is the head of the Federal Foreign Office and a member of the Cabinet of Germany. The current office holder is Guido Westerwelle...
Guido Westerwelle
Guido Westerwelle
Guido Westerwelle [] is a German liberal politician, who, since 28 October 2009, has been serving as the Foreign Minister in the second cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel, and who was Vice Chancellor of Germany from 2009 to 2011. He is the first openly gay person to hold either of those positions...
issued a press release reading: "I condemn yesterday’s suicide attack in Stockholm, in the heart of a European capital. Attacks such as this one remind us that we must remain fully committed to the fight against terrorism."
Iraq's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Iraq)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the Iraq government agency responsible for Foreign relations of Iraq with the International community....
issued a statement that read: " The Capital of the Sweden Kingdom ,Stockholm, was subject to a cowardly terrorist act causing the fall of civilian victims, and stimulated horror in the peaceful country, especially as it prepares itself to celebrate Christmas and the New Year.Recalling the terrorist acts that have plagued Iraq , the Iraqi Foreign Ministry deplores and strongly condemns this criminal act of terrorism and declares its solidarity with the Government and the friendly people of Sweden in confronting terrorism, and prays the Almighty to safeguard its people from the badness of extremists and terrorists."
Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre
Jonas Gahr Støre
Jonas Gahr Støre is the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, having been appointed to Jens Stoltenberg's second cabinet on 17 October 2005. He represents the Norwegian Labour Party.-Personal life:...
said to the Norwegian News Agency
Norwegian News Agency
The Norwegian News Agency is a Norwegian press agency and wire service that serves many of the largest Norwegian media outlets. It also cooperates closely with the photo agency Scanpix, in which it has a 50% ownership share.NTB was founded in 1867...
: "I strongly condemn what appears to have been an attempt at a terrorist attack in Stockholm yesterday. The fight against international crime and terrorism can be won only through broad international cooperation. Norway and Sweden are united in this struggle." Minister of Justice and the Police
Minister of Justice and the Police (Norway)
In Norway, the Minister of Justice and the Police is the head of the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Justice and the Police and a member of Government of Norway. Current minister is Grete Faremo of the Norwegian Labour Party who is part of the second cabinet Stoltenberg...
Knut Storberget
Knut Storberget
Knut Storberget is a Norwegian barrister and politician for the Norwegian Labour Party. He became the Minister of Justice and the Police serving in the second cabinet Stoltenberg from 2005. Storberget stepped down on November 11, 2011.He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Hedmark in...
was quoted by Verdens Gang
Verdens Gang
Verdens Gang , generally known under the abbreviation VG, is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper...
as saying: "We react with disgust to these kind of events. It is very sad that this happens."
Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Pakistan)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also known as Foreign Ministry, is a Government of Pakistan's federal and executive Ministry which is responsible for international and Foreign Affairs. The ministry was created in 1947, and was one of the first ministries to be established...
issued a statement reading: "Pakistan strongly condemns the two terrorist explosions in central Stockholm on 12 December 2010 and condoles with the bereaved families. Terrorism is a global menace and can be addressed effectively only through genuine and sustained international cooperation and understanding."
A spokesman for the Saudi Arabian government strongly condemned the attack in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency
Saudi Press Agency
The Saudi press agency ' was established in 1971 as the first national news agency. The main goal of its establishment was to serve as a central body to collect and distribute local and international news in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and abroad....
.
Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Turkey)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a government ministry office of the Republic of Turkey, responsible for foreign affairs in Turkey. Professor Ahmet Davutoğlu is current Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, appointed on May 1, 2009....
issued a statement reading: "It is with sadness that we condemn the hateful terrorist attack that occurred in Stockholm. [...] Turkey, which has always underlined the importance of international cooperation in the fight against terrorism ... wants to express its solidarity with its friends, the Swedish people and government, in these difficult days."
The embassy of the United States in Stockholm issued a statement reading: "The United States strongly condemns the suspected terrorist attack that occurred in Stockholm yesterday. The American people stand together with our Swedish friends at this difficult time."