Three Swedes suspected of having planted an explosive device earlier this year at the offices of Elbit Systems Sweden, the Gothenburg-based subsidiary of Israel’s largest defense contractor, likely acted on behalf of “someone else,” prosecutors told reporters on Wednesday.
“Nothing indicates that these people knew each other from before. They seem to have accepted a mission,” Johan Udén told the Dagens Nyheter newspaper. Udén said it “is currently still unclear who the clients are.”
On June 3, Swedish police announced that an unexploded bomb was discovered outside Elbit’s Gothenburg office, noting that the Israeli defense supplier was likely the target of the attempted terrorist attack.
A day later, security forces were again called to the scene after two suspicious individuals were detected outside Elbit’s premises.
The two suspects, aged 16 and 24, were apprehended and found to be carrying an explosive charge weighing about 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds). They were subsequently charged with “aggravated unlawful threat” and “attempted destruction causing public endangerment” for placing the bombs at the scene.
The third suspect, 29, stands accused of storing the explosive devices in his home and transporting them to his two accomplices near the Elbit offices. All three suspects have denied the charges, AFP reported.
The attempted terrorist attacks targeted “the company’s security guard, representatives and employees” and aimed to cause “serious fear for their and others’ personal and property safety,” Udén said.
On Oct. 10, a suspected terrorist opened fire at the Elbit office. Nobody was wounded in the attack, police spokesman August Brandt told local media. A minor under the age of 15 was apprehended at the scene.
Also last month, Swedish intelligence agency SÄPO said that Iran may have orchestrated recent terrorist attacks on Israeli targets in the Scandinavian country.
The statement came shortly after two explosions, likely caused by hand grenades, occurred close to Israel’s diplomatic mission in Denmark, days after gunfire was heard in the vicinity of the embassy in Sweden.
Fredrik Hallstrom, head of operations at SÄPO, the Swedish Security Service, noted that “there are some things that could point in that direction,” namely Iranian involvement in the two attacks.
In May, the agency confirmed that Tehran was recruiting members of Swedish criminal gangs to commit “acts of violence” against Israelis.
The Mossad intelligence agency has also suggested that the Islamic Republic is behind a series of terrorist attacks carried out by criminal groups targeting Israeli missions across Europe, including in Sweden.
