"The unprecedented anti-terrorist measures being contemplated by Sweden reflect the government�s enlarged focus on national security, and its more invasive disposition toward possible threats posed by home-grown terrorism from the country�s large and growing Muslim community."
"The Danish government has established a National Terrorist Emergency Reaction Unit (NTERU) composed of senior officers from within state police, national security intelligence, the Army and public services organizations such as firefighting, rescue and hospital authorities." "In non-aligned Finland, the government enacted tough anti-terror laws on July 19. The new legislation gives law enforcement agencies greater powers of investigation, detention and arrest against terrorist and organized crime suspects." http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=986280&C=europe Posted 07/25/05 15:03 Scandinavia To Bolster Anti-Terror Laws Countries Strengthen Domestic Role Of Military By GERARD O�DWYER, HELSINKI The Swedish government has instructed its ministries of Justice, Local Government and Defense to collaborate in drafting new anti-terror laws slated to be presented to the Riksdag, or legislature, by the end of October. Sweden�s Scandinavian neighbors, Denmark and Finland, also are planning to reinforce anti-terror laws. Swedish Prime Minister G�ran Persson told the Riksdag on June 28 that he favors new legislation that will strengthen the government�s powers to call in the Army should national security intelligence indicate a terrorist threat against the country is real and imminent. �We need to reinforce our laws in this whole area. The new anti-terror legislation will make it easier to request military assistance in such cases where terrorist attacks become a real threat in Sweden,� Persson told the Riksdag. �The legislation that is now proposed would outline when and how our defense forces can be called in to help police prevent or deal with perceived threats or the aftermaths of terrorist attacks,� said Lars Danielsson, an adviser on security affairs to the Swedish government. �Such a law has been debated since 2003, but in the wake of the recent bombings in London the government has decided to move forward with the proposal. Having new laws enacted is now a matter of urgency,� he said in an interview. The unprecedented anti-terrorist measures being contemplated by Sweden reflect the government�s enlarged focus on national security, and its more invasive disposition toward possible threats posed by home-grown terrorism from the country�s large and growing Muslim community. Government concerns also have been raised by a report from the national security service, S�PO, which claims that �potential terrorists are being recruited from Sweden�s prisons.� The �Interim Review Report� was handed to the Ministry of Justice and the Swedish Cabinet on July 18. The S�PO report claims that a number of fundamentalist Muslim networks are active in Swedish prisons. The largest of these networks �Asir,� is Osama bin Laden�s home province and known as a recruiting base for militant Muslims seeking to participate in Jihads against the West. Prison Connection �We have built up a good deal of information on Asir and other Muslim networks in our prisons through monitoring telephone conversations, postal control checks and from information directly from members of Muslim networks,� said Lars Nyl�n, the chief administrative officer of Sweden�s prison service. The prison authority, working jointly with national law enforcement and security services, is collaborating to �map out� the activities of the Asir and other Muslim networks, according to Nyl�n. �There are a number of active personnel within Muslim networks here in Sweden, and they exist both inside and outside the prison walls. What we must do is keep monitoring and be vigilant. Recruitment is not on what one would call large scale, but it exists. Those who are caught up in it are often young people who lack roots in the community,� Klas Bergenstrand, the head of S�PO, said at a press conference here July 16. Neighbors Tighten Security The Danish government has established a National Terrorist Emergency Reaction Unit (NTERU) composed of senior officers from within state police, national security intelligence, the Army and public services organizations such as firefighting, rescue and hospital authorities. The NTERU will fall under the responsibility of the National Operative Staff Administration, which coordinates security and terrorist-response operations. Duties include ensuring that rescue helicopters, police, military and ambulances are dispatched within 30 seconds of a call for response to terrorist incidents. The security initiative is unprecedented in Denmark, but regarded as necessary given the country�s strong and open support for the American-led presence in Iraq. Significantly, Denmark also has given the U.S. Air Force and security agencies unlimited access to its air space in flights between Iraq, Europe and the United States. Danish Airspace �We have made it clear to the U.S. government that Danish air- space is at their disposal should they need to use it. Flights by the American Air Force and U.S. security agencies are perfectly legal under present Danish laws,� Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig M�ller told members of parliament in the Folketing legislature on June 14. In non-aligned Finland, the government enacted tough anti-terror laws on July 19. The new legislation gives law enforcement agencies greater powers of investigation, detention and arrest against terrorist and organized crime suspects. The additional powers available to general law enforcement and SUPO, the state�s national security intelligence agency, include the power to conduct wire taps and electronic surveillance, to conduct undercover operations, and to perform legal searches of person and property. The amendments to the present Anti-Terror Act also give the national police authority to request Defense Force back-up, but only where a clear need exists for military support and only then if such intervention is approved by the Interior minister or the government. The enactment of the new anti-terror amendments is timed to take effect as Finland prepares to host the World Athletics Championships here, beginning Aug. 6. �The new anti-terror laws and the security measures now being taken for the games are the most advanced and comprehensive that Finland has ever experienced,� Antti Pihlakoski, the chairman of Finland�s National Security Committee, said in an interview. Intelligence gathered by SUPO in the wake of the recent London bombings points to increased militant recruitment activity among Finland�s small Muslim population. �We have information of some terrorist recruiting efforts taking place here in Finland. We are investigating the extent of these activities. While this is true, it is certainly not on the same scale as in more populous European countries where there is a larger pool of potential disaffected and easily susceptible young people,� Paavo Selin, the head of SUPO�s counterterrorism unit, said at a July 16 press conference. 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