By HAN News Desk
MOGADISHU – Swedish authorities have charged a 23-year-old Swedish-Syrian man with multiple terrorist-related offenses, including attempts to travel to Somalia to join the Islamic State (IS) group, prosecutors confirmed on Thursday.
According to the charge sheet, the man is accused not only of attempting to join IS but also of financing and attempting to finance the organization using cryptocurrencies. He is further alleged to have been a member of IS, actively supporting the group’s objectives.
Prosecutors said the accused first attempted to travel to Somalia on 4 September 2023. A second attempt occurred on 18 March of the following year, this time 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.
Mellberg noted that investigators were unable to determine precisely what role the man intended to play within IS. “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,” he explained.
The charges also reveal that the accused had received instructions on the manufacture and use of explosives, specifically intended for acts of terrorism.
The 23-year-old resides in southern Sweden and is reportedly friends with another 22-year-old man who was convicted in mid-February for offenses including foreign travel for terrorism purposes. Some of the trips the two men had planned were reportedly connected.
The trial is scheduled to begin on 3 December at the Attunda District Court and is expected to last three days.
While Islamic State’s presence in Somalia remains relatively limited compared to the more entrenched Al-Qaeda-linked group Al-Shabaab, experts have warned that IS has been increasingly active in the region. Analysts suggest that such cases highlight the continued threat of foreign fighters seeking to join extremist groups in East Africa and the challenges faced by regional authorities in preventing their movement.
