Sweden summons Russian ambassador following 'devastating' German drone sabotage plot
Sweden is summoning the Russian ambassador "to convey Sweden's sharp protest against Russia's actions", Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced in a press conference.
The briefing was held after the German government earlier on Tuesday accused Russia of orchestrating an incident involving a drone loaded with explosives at Leipzig/Halle airport on August 4th.
"This time the sabotage failed, but it could have had completely devastating consequences for both human lives and European aviation had the operation succeeded," Kristersson said.
According to the prime minister, the rise in hybrid threats comes as Russia continues to fail to achieve its goals in its war against Ukraine, alongside a steadily deteriorating Russian economy.
"What happened, and above all what could have happened, in Germany could just as easily have happened in any other country that supports Ukraine against Russia's war," Kristersson said.
The drone in Germany was discovered by airport staff. Armed with explosives, it was found in close proximity to Ukrainian cargo aircraft.
Kristersson noted that the German government's decision to openly single out Russia marks the clearest European naming-and-shaming since the Russian poison attack in Salisbury in 2018.
Responding to a question regarding concerns about potential Russian interference in the upcoming Swedish election, Kristersson stated:
"At present, we have no indications that Russia is attempting to meddle in the Swedish election."
He added that this is "likely because they perceive that support for Ukraine is exceptionally broad in Sweden." (TT/The Local)
Swedish vocabulary: to summon – att kalla upp
Swedish opposition lead narrows as Liberals bounce back in latest poll
The centre-left opposition's lead has narrowed to 2.6 percentage points in a new Novus poll conducted for broadcaster TV4.
According to the survey, support for the Liberals has risen by 1.4 percentage points to 3.3 percent. This marks their highest rating in Novus polling since Simona Mohamsson took over as party leader, bringing the party a step closer to the crucial four-percent parliamentary threshold.
Meanwhile, the Social Democrats suffered a sharp drop of 4.3 percentage points, falling to 25.8 percent. On the left, the Left Party and the Centre Party stand at 8.4 percent and 8.3 percent respectively, while the Green Party registered 7.8 percent.
Among the remaining parties in the centre-right Tidö coalition, the Moderates received 17.2 percent, the Christian Democrats 6.5 percent, and the Sweden Democrats 20.7 percent.
A total of 2,984 people were interviewed for the poll. (TT/The Local)
Swedish vocabulary: an opinion poll – en opinionsundersökning
Police find no evidence of crime at Lycksele schools after unconfirmed threat
Police were on site at several schools in Lycksele for several hours to investigate a tip-off. However, there were no indications that any crime had been committed.
Two schools in the northern town opted to go into lockdown. The pupils were later allowed to leave.
"We received a tip-off at around 12.55pm today regarding this school, which we took seriously and sent officers to check," police spokesperson Elin Andersson told news agency TT.
The tip-off came from someone who claimed to have seen a person carrying a weapon-like object close to one of the schools.
Later, a third school in the same town but a different neighbourhood was put on lockdown after a "person in workwear" was spotted holding an object. That lockdown has now been lifted.
In connection with the police operation, a person in the vicinity jumped out of a window and sustained injuries. However, no other injured or suspected individuals were found.
Police urged the public not to spread rumours.
Sweden is on its toes after an armed swordsman walked into a school in the central town of Fagersta on August 21st, killing a 17-year-old girl. (TT/The Local)
Swedish vocabulary: lockdown – inrymning
'Strawberry' gang boss Ismail Abdo will not be extradited to Sweden for trial
Swedish gang leader Ismail Abdo, known as "The Strawberry", will soon stand trial in Turkey, the Swedish prosecutor told TV4 Nyheterna.
Abdo was arrested during a police operation in Turkey last July, where he is suspected of international drug smuggling and money laundering. In Sweden, he is remanded in custody in his absence for several offences, including inciting attempted murder and aggravated drug smuggling.
It was initially unclear whether Abdo could be extradited to Sweden to face trial here. It has now been confirmed that the indictment and trial will take place in Turkey.
"He is in custody in Turkey and there will be a legal process there, and we are working with the goal of Turkey taking over the prosecution of certain preliminary investigations," prosecutor Daniel Jonsson told TV4 Nyheterna. (TT/The Local)
Swedish vocabulary: remanded in custody in his absence – häktad i sin utevaro/frånvaro
Copenhagen Airport reports record-breaking summer passenger numbers
This summer has been Copenhagen Airport's busiest ever, with almost ten million people passing through the airport in June, July and August combined.
A total of 9.9 million people used the airport in the summer months, which is a three percent increase on last year's summer figures.
"We've never had this many summer travellers in the history of the airport," the airport's CEO Peter Krogsgaard said.
The most popular destinations were Spain and Italy, with 789,000 people flying to Spanish destinations and 714,000 flying to Italian airports.
After that came France, Greece and Turkey, with 484,000, 456,000 and 427,000 travellers respectively.
Copenhagen Airport is the largest international airport in the Nordic region and is the main airport for much of Denmark and southern Sweden.
Swedish vocabulary: an airport – en flygplats
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