The Swedish Migration Agency cooperates with the Swedish Security Service to detect persons who come to Sweden and apply for a residence permit or asylum and who are considered to be security threats.
This year, until last August, Säpo has recommended rejection in 83 cases in the referrals that the Migration Board sent to Säpo for assessment.
A total of 290 cases have been seen as a security threat after the trial of Säpo since 2013.
- I think these are individuals with links to extremism or terrorist groups and it is surprising that it is such a high figure. The first thing I think about when I hear that number is how many are still in the country, says Magnus Ranstorp, terrorist investigator
But how many people are involved, Säpo does not want to answer. Sweden has the principle not to expel people who risk the death penalty or torture in their home countries, which makes it difficult to expel many suspects.
Instead, they are monitored by Säpo and are required to report to the police.
- This is not a problem that is unique to Sweden. For example, we have seen in Germany that many of the attacks we had in 2016 and 2017 were carried out by asylum seekers who had been rejected, says Magnus Ranstorp.