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STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A Swedish man of Tunisian origin, arrested on suspicion he was about to hijack a plane, was planning to crash the aircraft into a U.S. embassy in Europe, Swedish intelligence sources said on Saturday. The man was arrested on Thursday -- almost a year after the September 11 hijack attacks on the United States -- when a gun was found in his luggage as he boarded a flight to Britain from a small airport west of Stockholm. Police were looking for four more men, including an explosives expert, who worked with him on the plan, the sources said. "We know for sure that the plan was to crash the plane into a U.S. embassy in Europe," a military intelligence source told Reuters. The 29-year-old suspect had been moved to a high security prison and was expected to be charged on Monday. Police said they were investigating the man\'s background and looking for any possible links to militant groups. Swedish tabloid newspaper Expressen said the man became a devout Muslim in the last few years, regularly visiting a mosque in Stockholm. The paper quoted his friends as saying he often spoke of fighting for Islam but was not a member of any organization. Passengers on the plane flown by the Irish budget airline Ryanair included people traveling to an Islamic conference in the English city of Birmingham. Those heading to the conference had been questioned but were not suspects, police said. LOADED PISTOL Security officials at the small Vasteras airport, 100 km (60 miles) west of Stockholm, said they found a pistol in the toiletries bag of the man, who had previous convictions for theft and assault. Expressen said the gun was a 6.5 caliber pistol, loaded with three or four rounds. "The arrested man will be questioned during the weekend, because the prosecutor has a deadline -- Monday midday -- to apply for a court appearance," said police spokesman Ulf Palm. Police are considering charges for both hijacking and illegal possession of a firearm, and the man could face life imprisonment if found guilty. A Swedish newspaper said the man already had a conviction for an attack on a U.S. embassy Marine guard in 1999. Abu Khadeejah, one of the organizers of the Islamic conference in Birmingham, said neither he nor other conference officials knew the man arrested in Sweden. He said Islam condemned people who harmed innocent civilians to force social or political change. Vasteras airport manager Mikael Nilsson said local police who run security at the airport had found the weapon in a routine screening of hand luggage, a procedure used on all international flights even before September 11. After the weapon was found, police grounded the Boeing 737-800 with 189 passengers while explosives experts searched the aircraft and baggage.
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Originally posted by fastson Please USA dont bomb us! :rolleyes:
Originally posted by The Stapler Bless you!
Originally posted by ViVi what is that supposed to mean?
Originally posted by Jar O Pickles nope sorry using american logic any country that terrorist come from must be bombedgoodbye sweden, sorry
Originally posted by Samwise Well, it\'s not like anyone\'s gonna miss it anyway! Goodbye Sweden!