Taymour Abdelwahab wanted to cause a massacre in central Stockholm, but a bomb exploded in advance. Life of man investigated to trace accomplices. Cooperation with British, U.S. and Indian security services, as well as those in Sweden. He was linked to Al Qaeda in Iraq, responsible for the massacre in the Syro-Catholic cathedral of Baghdad.

Stockholm (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Taymour Abdelwahab, the Iraqi-born terrorist who blew himself up in Stockholm on Dec. 11 wanted to cause a large scale disaster in Europe, and probably had accomplices. These are the conclusions arrived at by investigators in Sweden. Meanwhile, the Swedish, British, American and Indian security services are trying to trace the man's past and connections to try and track any network of accomplices. The Indian have become involved because the man exploded a short distance from the Delhi embassy.

Taymour Abdelwahab had an explosive belt on, a bomb in a backpack and was carrying a device modeled on a pressure cooker, said the head of the investigation, Lindstrand. The terrorist was a hundred yards from a crowded area, "This happened at the height of Christmas shopping in downtown Stockholm, and he was extremely well equipped with explosives. It is not wrong to assume that he wanted to reach a point where there were as many people as possible". A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said: "We were very lucky. A few minutes more and 200 yards ahead and it would have been a catastrophe. " Probably one of the bombs was detonated by mistake earlier than expected.

The man, about to turn 29, was expelled from the mosque in Luton in Britain, over his violent and extremist ideas. He argued that military jihad was an obligation for every Muslim. A radical Islamic Web site, Shumukh al-Islam has published an alleged spiritual testament where Abdelwahab states his desire to join the battle of Al Qaeda in Iraq and target Sweden. Investigators are also giving attention to an e-mail with an attached voice message, sent by Abdelwahab in which he calls upon "all the mujahideen hidden in Europe, and especially in Sweden, it is now the time to fight back." Seven experts from the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) are in Sweden to cooperate with investigations.

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