Terrorism and deadly force attacks

How to act in the event of deadly force attacks

Escape (if possible)

• Leave the location, if possible. You and other members of the public are a target.
• Make a habit of locating emergency exits etc.

Find cover (hide, if escape is not possible)

• If you can't leave the location, find a place you deem to be safe and which provides protection.
• Pay attention to what you see and hear.
• Silence your phone and don't make any unnecessary calls to people who may be present in the danger zone.

Call the emergency services 

It is the task of the police to disrupt an ongoing attack.

• Call 112 as soon as practically possible. 
• The Police will need to know: the location, what happened, how many suspects did you see, what weapons did they use, what do they look like and where did you last see them?

Follow the instructions of the police. When the police arrive on the scene, make sure you can't be mistaken for a suspect. Don't hold anything in your hands that could be mistaken for a weapon. Be prepared for the possibility of a further terrorist attack.

Web course on how to act in the event of a terrorist attack

Information from the Swedish Police about terrorist attacks

The threat level scale

No identified threat (1)  
Limited threat (2)
Elevated threat (3)
High threat (4)
Very high threat (5)  

Assessment of terrorist threat level

The National Centre for Terrorist Threat Assessment (NCT) conducts continuous assessments of the terrorist threat level in Sweden and towards Swedish interests abroad.

The threat level is currently considered to be 4 out of 5. Level 4 entails an high terrorist threat. 

It is the Director General of the Swedish Security Service who takes any decision to change the threat level for Sweden. The decision is based on an overall assessment of information, which also includes the assessment from NCT).

The National Centre for Terrorist Threat Assessment, NCT

Where the threat comes from

The NCT believes that the main threat of an attack on Sweden in 2023 will probably come from individuals motivated by violent right-wing extremist ideology or violent Islamist ideology.

In July 2023, the Swedish Security Service confirmed that the security situation in Sweden had deteriorated. The reason is partly because of events at which holy scripts are violated, and partly because of disinformation campaigns that have presented an image of Sweden as a country that is hostile towards Islam and Muslims.

The Swedish Security Service: Security situation worsens as the image of Sweden changes