Terror Scandals in the Left Party: Held Parliament Seminar with Convicted Terrorist – Entire Municipal List Withdrawn

The Left Party is once again in the spotlight following a new revelation about the party’s contacts with Palestinian activists. According to an investigation, a previously convicted Palestinian terrorist took part in a seminar organized by the party in the Swedish Parliament. The information arises even as the party is already under pressure from several high-profile exposés about support letters to convicted Palestinian terrorists and candidates who have expressed support for Hamas or spread antisemitic hate.

According to an investigation by Kvartal, the Left Party organized a seminar in Parliament on October 22, 2025, together with the Palestinian National Federation. Two former Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails participated via video link, including Hussam Shaheen.

Kvartal reports that Shaheen was sentenced in 2004 to 27 years in prison for attempted murder and conspiracy to murder. He was released in February 2025 as part of a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas following the Gaza hostage crisis.

The newspaper notes that his participation in a conference in the US a few months earlier had already attracted international attention, as Israeli authorities described him as a leader of a terror cell within the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

According to Kvartal, the seminar was led by the Left Party’s foreign policy spokesperson Håkan Svenneling together with Yekbun Alp, party board member and head of international affairs. The chairman of the Palestinian National Federation, Amjad Aloul, also participated.

After the seminar, Alp described the participants’ testimonies on social media as important and emphasized international solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Kvartal also reports that representatives from the Social Democrats, the Green Party, and the Centre Party were said to be among the participants, but it has not been possible to determine exactly who attended since no participant list has been preserved.

The Left Party representatives approached by the newspaper have declined to comment.

Follows Letter Controversy

This revelation comes shortly after several Left Party MPs received criticism for a letter campaign in which open solidarity letters were sent to Palestinian prisoners.

It was noted, among other things, that the party’s group leader Samuel Gonzalez Westling sent a letter to Ibrahim Abu Mokh, who according to previous reports was sentenced to life imprisonment for the kidnapping and murder of Israeli soldier Moshe Tamam. Expressen also reported that other letters were sent to people convicted of serious terrorist offenses.

Gonzalez Westling and Nooshi Dadgostar / PFLP. Photo: Montage by Samnytt. homas R. Koeniges — LOOK Magazine / Facsimile Facebook

The party secretary of the Left Party, Maria Forsberg, has said that it was not the party’s intention for the letters to be sent to people convicted of serious violent crimes.

According to her, the campaign was based on material from the Palestinian National Federation and the party’s own fact-checking was lacking. Several of the letters have since been removed from social media.

Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar has described the letters as mistakes and said the party should have had better routines. At the same time, she has emphasized that antisemitism and support for terrorist organizations are not compatible with the values of the Left Party. However, a long line of revelations indicates otherwise.

Several High-Profile Investigations

Investigations over the past year have also focused attention on a large number of local and regional Left Party representatives. Expressen previously reported on Left Party candidates who expressed support for Hamas or Hezbollah, spread antisemitic messages, or downplayed the Holocaust. After these investigations, around 20 candidates have resigned from their positions or been removed from election lists.

On Thursday, the Left Party in Sävsjö also announced that the party is withdrawing its entire municipal list before the election after several candidates were deemed unsuitable.

According to SVT, several people have previously been removed due to information about support for Hamas or spreading other controversial messages on social media. The party’s local representatives have described the situation as serious and stated that candidates must stand behind the party’s policies and values.

Some of Sävsjö’s Left Party politicians who have discredited themselves and are now leaving the party, as previously reported by Expressen:

Samer Saad Mohialdeen, 45 – ran in both the regional and municipal elections. He was at the top of the municipal list. Has shared content with pro-Russian propaganda, sexism, and homophobia.

Wesam Najim, 36 – ran in the municipal election. On social media, he has shared multiple posts in support of the terror-listed Hamas.

Nabil El-Khatib, 47 – ran in the municipal election. On TikTok, he has shared posts claiming that no one was killed in Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023.

Sharp Political Criticism

The recurring revelations have resulted in strong criticism from the government parties. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has previously accused the Left Party of having long permitted a culture where terrorist glorification and antisemitic hate could occur, while the rest of the opposition has also called for clear actions.

The Left Party rejects the notion that these cases reflect the party’s values and points out that individuals have been made to leave positions when information has emerged. Party leadership has also admitted that the party’s internal screening procedures need to be strengthened to prevent similar incidents in the future.