Swedish intel suggests Iran’s possible involvement in Israeli embassy attack

Two Swedish teenagers were charged on Thursday with possession of five hand grenades, two of which were detonated on a rooftop near the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen earlier this week, in connection with the Israeli embassy attack.

The explosions, which occurred on Wednesday, caused damage to a nearby building, though no injuries were reported. The two suspects, aged 16 and 19, were arrested at Copenhagen’s main train station and remanded in custody.

Details of Israeli embassy attack

The Copenhagen city court revealed that the teenagers were apprehended on Wednesday after the explosions took place. The two suspects pleaded not guilty during the preliminary hearing. Although the prosecutor provided details of the charges, the court imposed a ban on publishing the names of the accused. The suspects will remain in custody until Oct. 30 while investigations continue.

The blasts happened in the early hours of Wednesday near the Israeli embassy, raising concerns about whether the embassy was specifically targeted. However, authorities are still investigating the exact motive behind the attack.

Third suspect released after questioning

A third individual, also 19 years old, was detained in another part of Copenhagen but was released after questioning. Police have yet to determine if he was connected to the embassy attack.

Context of incident

This attack comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East. Israel has been engaged in ongoing hostilities with Hamas in Gaza for almost a year and recently launched a ground assault on southern Lebanon due to cross-border exchanges with Hezbollah. Meanwhile, Iran launched a missile barrage on Israel earlier this week, adding to regional instability.

In recent months, Denmark has seen a rise in violent crime linked to Swedish nationals. At least 10 Swedes have been charged in Denmark this year for various serious crimes, including attempted murder and weapons possession. Authorities are increasingly concerned about the spread of organized crime across borders.

Possible links to Iran

Swedish authorities have previously indicated that Iranian security services may have used local criminal networks to carry out attacks in Europe. While Iran has dismissed these accusations as “baseless,” Swedish intelligence agency Sapo has noted potential Iranian involvement in recent attacks on Israeli embassies in the Nordics.

Fredrik Hallstrom, head of operations at Sapo, said during a press conference: “There are some things that could point in that direction. In part due to the choice of targets and modus operandi, but that is an assumption rather than pure knowledge.”