The suspects had links to Islamic State and organized crime, and one with a long rap sheet had previously fled to Morocco.
Sweden’s security police arrested four people on suspicion of preparing Islamist terror attacks during an afternoon raid of a mosque in Stockholm County on Thursday.
Neighbors of the premises in Tyresö, south of the Swedish capital, reported explosions at around 2 p.m. as security police stormed the Islamic cultural association and detained four suspects.
On Thursday evening, Swedish authorities announced in a press release those being held were facing terrorist charges and were suspected of serious weapons offenses.
The public prosecutor’s office noted that the terror charges were associated with Islamist extremism and that authorities were exploring links to serious organized crime.
“There are individuals where we see connections to serious crime in Sweden and also international connections to the terrorist group IS,” said Fredrik Hultgren-Friberg, press spokesperson at the police security service, Säpo.
“What I can say is that we have known about these people for a long time and have made an effort against their plans to ward off a threat,” he added, refusing to elaborate on the particulars of the case.