Sweden on Thursday charged a 23-year-old Swedish-Syrian man with several “terrorist crimes”, including attempts to travel to Somalia to join the Islamic State (IS) group, prosecutors said.
He is also accused of both financing and attempting to finance IS through cryptocurrencies, as well as being a member of the organisation, according to the charge sheet.
On 4 September 2023, he made his first attempt to travel to Somalia, the prosecution said.
On 18 March the following year, he made another attempt via Saudi Arabia.
“In both cases, he was arrested. The first time by Ethiopian authorities near the Somali border. And the second time by Somali authorities,” prosecutor Carl Mellberg told AFP.
However, the prosecutor said it had not been possible to establish exactly what his plans had been.
“Since he never reached his destination, we cannot say exactly what his role would have been there. But, in any case, it was an active role within IS, that wasn’t about anything less than joining their ranks,” Mellberg explained.
The accused had also received instructions on the manufacture and use of explosives “specifically intended for use in terrorist acts”, according to the charge sheet.
The man resides in southern Sweden and is friends with another 22-year-old man who was convicted in mid-February for, among other things, foreign travel for terrorism purposes, including some trips they had planned together.
The trial will begin on 3 December and will last three days at the Attunda district court.
IS has a relatively small presence in Somalia compared to the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab, but experts have warned of growing activity.
