Sweden probes blasts, no new threat level
Sweden sees no need to raise its terrorism threat level despite reports that further attacks could be planned in Europe and the United States after a terror bid in Stockholm, the Security Police said yesterday.
Police are still wading through a mass of evidence after the failed attack in the Swedish capital on Saturday, when a bomber, Taimour Abdulwahab, blew himself up by accident. This prevented him setting off more explosives in a much deadlier attack.
"There is no new information at the current time that would necessitate a further raising of the threat level, but we continuously analyze this threat level," Security Police director of operations Anders Thornberg told a news conference.
He spoke after a Swedish newspaper carried a report quoting an Iraqi minister as saying that militants in jail had said the Stockholm attack was part of a planned series of attacks over the Christmas holiday period.
A militant on Monday also delivered an online threat of more attacks if Western troops did not withdraw from Afghanistan.
Officials at the news conference said investigations of the Stockholm blasts had led to the type of explosive used being identified, though they declined to say what it was.
They said 400 tips had come in from the public, which were being followed up.
An autopsy of the body had been carried out after which they hoped to be able to identify the bomber for certain.
Police have previously said they were only "98 percent" sure it was Abdulwahab.
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