Radical Islamist organizations spread fake news campaign about the kidnap of Muslim children by Swedish authorities

Islamist organizations are spreading fake news online about the kidnap of Muslim children by Swedish authorities.

Municipalities and social services attacked by online fake news

Social media accounts linked to radical Islamist organizations have been spreading fake news about the kidnap of Muslim children by Swedish authorities. Comments posted to the fake news articles have included threats of terror and violence against the Swedish people and state. Some of the accounts have more than 17 million followers, almost twice the population of Sweden.

Mikael Tofvesson, the operational head of the Swedish Agency for Psychological Defense, told SVT that both Swedish municipalities and social services have been attacked by accounts claiming that Muslim children have been kidnapped from their families, with the knowledge of Swedish authorities. The campaign centers around videos of crying children who say that they have been kidnapped by the Swedish state.

Tofvession said that these videos have been twisted from cases involving intervention in families by either police or due to Swedish welfare legislation. Fake analysis of the situation has also been fabricated and then posted.

Possible link to “ISIS brides”?

SVT also asked Tofvesson whether this campaign was, in part, linked to the complicated issue of the children of Swedish so-called “ISIS brides” – women who went to Syria and married jihadist fighters of the Islamic State (ISIS / ISL). This was popularized in the hit Swedish television series “Kalifat” (Caliphate) which was produced by SVT.

Tufvesson was cautious in his reply to link these attacks with ISIS brides saying “We can not speculate on that, but we can state that it is an additional factor. There are various actors who got hooked on the campaign when it got bigger, some of which have explicitly expressed support for IS and anti-democratic, Islamist movements. It is not unreasonable to assume that any of them have considered that question in connection with this.”

According to Swedish statistics, it is estimated that more than 300 Swedes traveled to Syria and Iraq as foreign fighters for ISIS. Many returning, including women and their children, have been prosecuted.

Source : © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews

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