German prosecutors accuse men of plotting Islamist attack in Sweden

Two people with alleged affiliations to the so-called Islamic State terror group have been criminally charged by German prosecutors on allegations of plotting an armed attack near the Swedish parliament in Stockholm, reported dpa.

Prosecutors announced the charges on Wednesday, accusing the two Afghan men of plotting a gun attack targeting Swedish police officers after having received orders from the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) offshoot in Afghanistan and Pakistan in the summer of 2023.

The plot was allegedly intended as a response to Koran burnings held in Stockholm and other Scandinavian cities by anti-Islam activists, according to prosecutors.

The two men were arrested by German police in March near the eastern city of Gera on suspicion of terrorism and have been held in custody since then.

They allegedly tried several times to procure weapons for the attack but without success, and also researched the potential attack location on the internet, according to prosecutors.

The charges against the two men include belonging to or supporting a terrorist organization, conspiracy to commit a crime and violations of Germany's Foreign Trade and Payments Act.

A court in the central German city of Jena will now decide on how to proceed with the charges and whether to schedule a trial for the two men.