Sweden boosts border controls amid threats over Quran burnings
The Swedish government is also looking into changes that could allow police to stop Quran burnings in public if they posed a threat to national security
Sweden said Tuesday it strengthened border controls to give police more authority in stopping and searching people, amid increased threats over recent Quran burnings.
A new law gives police extended powers to perform checks on and around the country’s borders – including body searches – and allows for increased electronic surveillance.
"Border controls are a measure that gives us the conditions to identify people coming into Sweden who could represent a threat to security," Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told a news conference.
Sweden and Denmark have seen a string of protests in recent weeks, in which copies of the Quran were burned or otherwise damaged, prompting outrage in Muslim countries and demands that the Nordic governments put a stop to the burnings.
Danish security police also said, that like in Sweden, the country was seeing an elevated risk of attacks as a result of the crisis.
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the situation was "dangerous,” "complicated," and "used by people who wanted Sweden harm," including by Russia who may be using the situation to its advantage.
"It may be to prevent a Swedish NATO accession," Kristersson suggested.
Sweden applied to join NATO in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but the application is yet to be ratified by the Turkish parliament. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said he would work to get Sweden's application approved, but also warned it wouldn't happen as long as copies of the Quran were being burnt in Sweden.
The Swedish government was also looking into changes that could allow police to stop Quran burnings in public if they posed a threat to national security, Kristersson said. Still, he added, sweeping changes to freedom of speech laws were not on the table.