Two Swedish teenagers are being held in custody in Denmark, suspected of terrorist crimes after throwing hand grenades at a rooftop terrace in Hellerup, north of Copenhagen, where the Israeli embassy is located.
In most cases when the prosecutor brings a terrorism charge, the individuals are convicted. If they are found guilty, they will receive long sentences, says terrorism expert Magnus Ranstorp.
On behalf of Iran?
According to information provided to the media, the police suspect that it is the now divided network Foxtrot, led by Rawa Majid, that is behind the shooting at the Israeli embassy in Stockholm and the act in Copenhagen – on behalf of Iran.
We don't know that until the evidence is presented, but why would gang criminals go all the way to Copenhagen to commit an act against the Israeli embassy if there wasn't a commissioned job behind it?
Ranstorp means that the Foxtrot network doesn't gain anything from the attacks. If Iran is involved, it's likely that the country has a hold on the leadership within Foxtrot.
Iran doesn't care much about reprisals. The country already has its sanctions against it, says Ranstorp.
But why is Iran targeting Sweden and Denmark?
We have huge problems with gang criminality and it's easy for Iran to exploit. Similar events have occurred in Germany and France, but the frequency we have in the Nordic countries hasn't been seen elsewhere.
Responded to an ad
If the teenagers acted on commission from gang criminals, it's not certain they know the motive behind the act, believes crime reporter and author Diamant Salihu.
The one who commits an act has often responded to an ad on social media. The recruiter sits in a country and acts in turn on commission from someone higher up in the hierarchy who sits in a completely different country.
But there is still much information missing to be able to draw all too clear conclusions, he believes.
The perpetrators may just be cannon fodder. In this case, it becomes very interesting what you find in their phones to see communication with the clients and recruiters.
Salihu is himself cautious about drawing too large conclusions based on the information about Iran and Foxtrot.
What's left of Foxtrot after the internal divisions is a motley crew of people from different parts of Sweden. Whoever is behind this will likely come to light sooner or later, he says.
