Terror-charged Faris Al Abdullah expects to be released as early as August next year, according to the Security Service’s preliminary investigation. The 18-year-old terrorist notes that the Swedish judicial system is very lenient towards individuals like him due to his young age. “They will punish me as a child,” he writes in a letter.
“This will be the biggest terrorist attack in their history!”
It is February 11 this year when the 18-year-old Syrian is walking around Kungsträdgården in central Stockholm. He films himself while reconnoitering the park.
READ ALSO: The terrorist’s plan: Blow up the Cultural Festival in Stockholm
Al Abdullah wants to be well-prepared. Six months later, he plans to carry out a terrorist act during the Cultural Festival. He is in good spirits, eagerly anticipating becoming a martyr, and hopes for a large number of dead Swedes, as revealed in chat communications.
He refers to himself as a “dawlah,” an Arabic term for a powerful Islamist leader.
Ten seconds later, he is arrested by the police.
Radicalized via the internet
Faris Al Abdullah arrived in Sweden from Syria in January 2018 with his family, and two months later, his family was granted permanent residency. This was in line with the fast-track policy at the time for migrants from Syria, which was supported by a majority of members of parliament.
READ ALSO: Nurse Lena, 18, is deported to Ukraine – but terrorist Faris, 18, is allowed to stay
Faris’s father was convicted of assault after less than a year in Sweden, and later also convicted of smuggling. The family is not self-supporting and lives on welfare. However, the family’s repeated criminal activities and dependence on welfare do not jeopardize their journey to become Swedish.
In spring 2021, son Faris Al Abdullah applied for and was granted Swedish citizenship.
Three years later, Faris Al Abdullah, now 17, embarked on another journey: the journey to become a jihadist. He chats with like-minded individuals via the internet and pledges allegiance to the Islamic State.
“Oh, people of disbelief! Know that we have come to you with an army that does not fear death. I swear by Allah that we will harvest every head that has gone too far!” he says as he practices a speech during a video call with another Islamist.
Al Abdullah falters and is disappointed in himself. However, the other Islamist thinks the speech is sufficient.
Chatting with the Security Service
Faris Al Abdullah is in contact with several different Islamists via the internet. One of them, whom he starts talking to in December, expresses interest in participating in carrying out a terrorist act together with Al Abdullah.
“Contact me about everything new. I long for it,” and “God willing, it will be good. Seek help from Allah,” the person writes, among other things.
However, that person is not an Islamist. Instead, it is an operator from the Security Service (Säpo), who has now begun to monitor the 17-year-old Syrian.
Säpo has been aware of Al Abdullah’s radicalization process since at least August 2024, when they received information that he had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. And with the help of various secret coercive measures, they keep track of his activities.
When he is finally arrested in February, the investigators have had six months to secure extensive evidence against Faris Al Abdullah. And they are aware of his extensive plans to carry out a terrorist act against the Cultural Festival.
Hopes to be released soon
Faris Al Abdullah is now charged with serious participation in a terrorist organization, preparation for a terrorist offense, serious preparation for offenses against the law on flammable and explosive substances, and serious training for terrorism.
READ ALSO: He is the IS Syrian man charged with planning a terrorist attack in Stockholm
The 18-year-old Arab is also charged, along with another Syrian man, with attempted murder or preparation for murder.
However, in a letter written to someone named “Elias,” the terror-charged Syrian expresses hope that he will soon be released. The reason is the lenient penalties that Sweden has for individuals like him.
“They will punish me as a child, then I will get a maximum of 3 years, inshallah alhamdulillah for everything, then I might be out in August 2026 inshallah, then I will possibly be on probation for 6 months, you know how it works,” he writes.
If the 18-year-old jihadist’s prediction is correct, which remains to be seen, he could be out just in time for the next cultural festival. And then he may get a new chance to mass murder “infidel” Swedes.
