BERLIN: Germany has arrested two suspected members of the militant Islamic State group (Khorasan) for allegedly planning an attack on the Swedish parliament in retaliation for burnings of holy book in the Scandinavian country, the federal prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday.

Two Afghan nationals identified as Ibrahim MG and Ramin N were detained in the eastern German city of Gera on suspicion of plotting the attack, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

According to German prosecutors, the two suspects had planned to kill police officers and other people using firearms in the area of the parliament in Stockholm. Ibrahim MG and Ramin N researched the location online and repeatedly tried to obtain weapons, albeit unsuccessfully, the prosecutor’s office said.

The suspects joined IS Khorasan Province in 2023 and had collected donations of around 2,000 euros ($2,170.00) for the organisation. The funds were intended to help IS members imprisoned in northern Syria, the statement added.

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2024