STOCKHOLM, Aug 17 (Reuters) – Sweden will raise its terrorist alert to the second highest level, the Dagens Nyheter daily reported on Thursday, after burnings and other acts against the Koran outraged Muslims.
The SAPO security service plans to lift the warning level from 3 to 4, meaning there is a concrete threat of an attack, the newspaper reported. SAPO was to hold a news conference later on Thursday about national security.
Britain and the United States have warned nationals against going to Sweden due to possible terrorist attacks amid protests there and in neighbouring Denmark over the burning and damaging of copies of the Koran by anti-Islam activists.
Sweden and Denmark are among the most liberal countries in the world, and have long allowed trenchant criticism of religions.
But Muslims view desecrating the Koran, which they consider to be the word of God transmitted to the Prophet Mohammad by the Angel Gabriel, as a grave offence worthy of severe punishment.
In 2017, an Uzbek immigrant who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State mowed down pedestrians on a busy Stockholm street with a truck, killing five people.
Reporting by Simon Johnson and Johan Ahlander, editing by Terje Solsvik, Louise Rasmussen and Niklas Pollard;
Editing by Andrew Cawthorne
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