The arrest of a 60-year-old imam in Tyresö, Sweden, has raised serious concerns about terrorism and radicalization within the community. The Somali imam, who led the mosque on a voluntary basis, was apprehended on suspicion of direct participation in a terrorism organization.
The imam had been leading the mosque since at least the early 2000s and, for a period, served as the chairman of the cultural association. His arrest follows an investigation initiated after a raid by Swedish security services SÄPO in March, during which four men in their 20s were detained.
Among the detainees, two converts to Islam have also been arrested on suspicion of preparation for terrorism and aggravated weapons offenses. The other two individuals are members of a known criminal gang. Some of the suspects have been under law enforcement radar since September of last year.
Although a SÄPO spokesman declined to specify which terrorist organization the suspects are connected with, previous statements from security services suggested “international links to the terrorist organization Islamic State.”
The mosque, operating under a Muslim cultural association, has received approximately €85,000 in taxpayer support through two different government funds. Isak Reichel, director and head of the Authority for Support to Religious Communities, emphasized the seriousness of the arrest, expressing concerns that it might erode trust in the government grant system and potentially tarnish other congregations.
In response to the situation, the Swedish Muslim Association has frozen the membership of the group, stating, “The investigation is ongoing, so we cannot give out any information because of SÄPO’s involvement.”
Representatives of the Tyresö Muslim cultural association expressed shock over the situation but declined to comment further on the mosque’s alleged connection with terrorism.
This recent arrest in Sweden coincides with Islamist demonstrations in Hamburg, where immigrant Muslims called for a caliphate to combat ‘Islamophobia,’ and revelations that underground mosques in Italy have become breeding grounds for Islamist extremists.
