Kerim Chatty

There've been more than raised eyebrows at the decision by a court in Sweden to order the release of a suspected hijacker, pending further investigations.

Karim Chatty was arrested last month trying to board a flight from Stockholm to Stansted with a loaded gun in his hand luggage, but now he is a free man again, for the time being.

The incident has added to rumbles in the intelligence community where Sweden is increasingly regarded as a place where terrorists believe they can base themselves without fear of detection.

But as Peter Marshall has been finding out, the Swedes do things differently.

PETER MARSHALL:
Four weeks on, we found Swedish airport security at least to be impressive. This was how a man was caught trying to board a plane for Britain with a loaded gun in his wash bag. Yet today Kerim Chatty was given bail. Prosecutors say he's still suspected of a potential hijack, but while they collect evidence, he's no longer a threat. The Americans say that's crazy.

BUCK REVELL:
Former Associate Deputy Director, FBI
He's an extreme flight risk and could become involved in other acts of terrorism. The Swedes ought to think about this carefully. If he does, it will be blood on their hands and other nations will hold them responsible.

MARSHALL:
They are saying they don't think he is no danger any more?

REVELL:
They don't have the slightest idea of whether he is an danger. If he was going to hijack an aeroplane, he will continue to be a danger.

MARSHALL:
Stockholm's suburbs are a refuge for those in exile from Eastern Europe, Asia and North Africa. Many still pursue the politics of their homelands, a few will plan vengeance against regimes they've fled. But as one terrorist advisor to the Government told me, the Swedes believe any such plots will be directed outside, away from Sweden. The lessons of 9/11 have yet to be learned.

MAGNUS NORELL:
Defence Research Institute, Sweden
That kind of knowledge, that kind of awareness has not penetrated because for us it's far-fetched. If I come up to you and say in Sweden that this person wants to kill you because God told you that, you are going to say "wait a minute, this is not real, you don't behave that way."

MARSHALL:
Tranquil, without conflict in 200 years, neutral throughout the Cold War, Sweden is proud of its liberal tradition. Some are saying it's bred complacency.

NORELL:
Some said there was a number of operatives here, about 15 to 20, connected to Al-Qaeda in many ways, that was the message. We knew who they are and they knew we knewwho they were and again nothing is happening. No-one is doing anything bad here.

MARSHALL:
How do you know they are not doing anything bad?

NORELL:
We don't. This is the problem. I agree with you there. I'm trying to explain why.

MARSHALL:
There was no surveillance?

NORELL:
No, no. Not to that extent.

MARSHALL:
Whatever Kerim Chatty was up to it seems there are serious flaws in Sweden's ability to handle terrorism. It's long been viewed as perhaps the safest place in Europe in which to hide. Now intelligence sources in America and France have told Newsnight that they believe attempts are being made from Sweden to co-ordinate terrorist cells across the rest of Europe and North Africa. In short, Sweden has become a base.

VINCENT CANNISTRARO:
Former Chief of Operations, CIA
The FBI, for example, is concerned about Sweden and the CIA as well, because they've seen some Al-Qaeda activity there. They think that Sweden has become a more welcoming environment for some of the Al-Qaeda people, particularly because of immigration policies and social welfare benefits. So, there is less focus on Al-Qaeda and immigrants as the intelligence target by the Swedes themselves. So, that is apparently one of the vulnerabilities that Al-Qaeda has identified and is trying to take advantage of.

MARSHALL:
A secret document from an American embassy to European police forces contains details of a five-man Swedish cell trained at an Al-Qaeda camp in Afghanistan. One of the men is named as Usama, is said to be married to a Swede and to have a child. The Americans believe this could be Usama Kassir, a Lebanese man they already want to question for allegedly trying to set up a terrorist camp inside the United States. Mr Kassir, who reportedly loathes the West and idolises Bin Laden, has denied any wrong doing. When Swedish liberalism meets even mainstream Islam there is something of a culture clash.

But reading a Swedish translation of the Koran, Pierre Durrani, from the 10,000 strong Young Muslims, says the two can coexist. However he says radical Islam can pose problems.

PIERRE DURRANI:
Swedish Young Muslims
One of the greatest dangers of radical Islam in Europe and maybe elsewhere is the breeding ground that we have in prisons, for example. They can come in contact with really strange groups who might attract that kind of black and white mentality and also make usage of their pre-knowledge of weapons and their criminal networks. That is a great danger.

MARSHALL:
It appears the Swedish police have decided there's no significance in the fact that Kerim Chatty, a convert to radical Islam with convictions for guns and violence, during a recent prison sentence shared a cell with one Usama Kassir. And away from Chatty, outside prison, Kassir was keen to spread the message.

DURRANI:
He was trying to attract some young Muslims, you know, taking them from more normal moderate Islam to Islam which is all focused on Jews, America, hating the West, trying to glorify military campaigns in Afghanistan.

MARSHALL:
Usama Kassir, staying on this housing estate outside Stockholm, has been contacted by Swedish security police but, according to his brother, only by telephone, only last week. Usama Kassir himself refused to talk to Newsnight and wasn't home when we called. As for Kerim Chatty, who wanted to fly with a loaded gun, his family say he's a scatter brain who forgot the gun was there. And his lawyer tells us he may be guilty of that but not terrorism.

NILS UGGLA:
Kerim Chatty's lawyer
As far as I know today, I think that the investigation will end in that the prosecutor will find him guilty for having this gun and nothing more. I don't think they will go to court with a terrorist case or anything like that.

MARSHALL:
In Stockholm's suburbs, most of the immigrant community continue their daily lives unaware of Kerim Chatty or the furore over his freedom. He's been named in only one newspaper, Swedish convention normally allowing anonymity to all until they're convicted. Overseas however, some are already finding Sweden itself guilty of naivety on a liberal scale.

REVELL:
Their government tend to be very soft. To take a very liberal attitude towards this risk and we would hope that the government would look at reality and know that there is a international conspiracy of major magnitude and they need to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

This transcript was produced from the teletext subtitles that are generated live for Newsnight. It has been checked against the programme as broadcast, however Newsnight can accept no responsibility for any factual inaccuracies. We will be happy to correct serious errors.