KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The German police arrested two citizens of Afghanistan for allegedly planning to attack police officers and other people near the Swedish parliament in retaliation for the burning of copies of the Quran in the country.
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office of Germany announced on Tuesday, March 19, that two suspected supporters of the terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS) had been arrested in the central German state of Thuringia.
As reported by the prosecutor, the suspects identified as Ibrahim M.G. and Ramin N., both Afghan citizens, were allegedly assigned by ISIS in mid-2023 to carry out an attack in Europe in retaliation for Quran burning incidents in Sweden and other countries.
The suspects, as indicated in the report, had made “concrete preparations” for the attack. They had conducted local research, but their attempts to obtain weapons had been unsuccessful.
According to the report, one of the suspects, Ibrahim, has joined the IS affiliate in Afghanistan and the eastern part of Iran, known as the Islamic State Khorasan Province (IS-KP). The terrorist group assigned him to carry out an attack in the summer of 2023.
They have also gathered donations in Germany totaling approximately €2,000 ($2,170) for the IS-KP to aid a member imprisoned in northern Syria.
On the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha last June, a 37-year-old Iraqi refugee stood outside Stockholm central mosque and burned a copy of the Quran, following permission granted by the Swedish court.
This was not the first incident of its kind in Sweden, as there have been previous instances of individuals setting fire to the Quran. In January 2023, a far-right extremist group led by Rasmus Paludan burned a copy of the Quran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.
A series of public Quran desecrations by anti-Islam activists in Sweden has incited outrage among Muslims globally and prompted threats from Islamic extremists. In October, a gunman fatally shot two Swedish soccer fans before a match in Brussels.
In August, Swedish authorities raised the terror alert to its second-highest level, saying “it had thwarted attacks after Quran burnings and other acts against Islam’s holiest text outraged Muslims and triggered threats from jihadists.”
The Taliban has also condemned the burning of the Quran in Sweden, labeling it as a “hateful and despicable” act against the religion of Islam. The regime’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Muslim countries to take appropriate measures in response to such acts happening globally.
Additionally, the Taliban has forced the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA), a major humanitarian organization providing life-saving assistance and educational support for millions of people in the country, to halt activities after over 40 years of operation in the country.
According to the report, both suspects are slated to appear before the investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Germany’s southwestern city of Karlsruhe. A decision regarding possible pre-trial detention is expected to be made.
