Swedish teen charged with plotting Islamic State-inspired knife attack on high school

A 19-year-old man in Sweden has been charged with planning an Islamic State-inspired knife attack on a high school in Halmstad. He faces charges of belonging to a terrorist organization and public incitement to terrorism. The trial begins November 19.

A 19-year-old man in Sweden has been charged with planning a knife attack on a high school in the southern town of Halmstad, inspired by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group. Prosecutors said Friday that the suspect planned to wound or kill people at the school between March 1 and April 13. He faces charges of belonging to a terrorist organization and public incitement to terrorism. The man was arrested in April; his identity has not been released. Deputy chief prosecutor Henrik Olin stated he could prove the perpetrator had direct terrorist intent. The Swedish Security Service (Sapo), which conducted the preliminary investigation, said the accused had consumed and disseminated violent Islamist propaganda online, stated willingness to swear allegiance to IS, and urged others to spread the group's message. Sapo's head of operations Fredrik Hallstrom noted that the primary threat now comes from individuals acting alone against easily accessible targets using simple means like bladed weapons, and that youths are particularly at risk of being drawn into such propaganda. The trial is scheduled to begin on November 19 and last four days.