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| 'Sweden, who would believe this?': Trump cites non-existent terror attack | 'Sweden, who would believe this?': Trump cites non-existent terror attack |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Donald Trump appeared to invent a terrorist attack in Sweden during a campaign-style rally in Florida on Saturday, inviting questions that he may have confused the Scandinavian country with a city in Pakistan. | |
| With thousands of supporters gathered in an aircraft hangar in Melbourne, Florida, Trump used his speech to talk about migration in Europe and linked it to terror attacks in Brussels, Nice and Paris. He then added Sweden to the list, incorrectly stating that an attack had happened there on Friday. | |
| Trump told supporters: “We’ve got to keep our country safe. You look at what’s happening in Germany, you look at what’s happening last night in Sweden.” | Trump told supporters: “We’ve got to keep our country safe. You look at what’s happening in Germany, you look at what’s happening last night in Sweden.” |
| “Sweden, who would believe this? Sweden. They took in large numbers. They’re having problems like they never thought possible. You look at what’s happening in Brussels. You look at what’s happening all over the world. Take a look at Nice. Take a look at Paris.” | “Sweden, who would believe this? Sweden. They took in large numbers. They’re having problems like they never thought possible. You look at what’s happening in Brussels. You look at what’s happening all over the world. Take a look at Nice. Take a look at Paris.” |
| There were questions about whether Trump had confused Sweden with Sehwan in Pakistan, where a suicide bomber blew himself up among devotees at the Sufi shrine on Friday, killing 80 people. | There were questions about whether Trump had confused Sweden with Sehwan in Pakistan, where a suicide bomber blew himself up among devotees at the Sufi shrine on Friday, killing 80 people. |
| Some citizens of Sweden were baffled by the comments. One of the country’s official Twitter accounts, controlled by a different citizen each week, currently a school librarian, said: “Nothing has happened here in Sweden. There has not [been] any terrorist attacks here. At all.” | Some citizens of Sweden were baffled by the comments. One of the country’s official Twitter accounts, controlled by a different citizen each week, currently a school librarian, said: “Nothing has happened here in Sweden. There has not [been] any terrorist attacks here. At all.” |
| No. Nothing has happened here in Sweden. There has not ben any terrorist attacks here. At all. The main news right now is about Melfest. -> | No. Nothing has happened here in Sweden. There has not ben any terrorist attacks here. At all. The main news right now is about Melfest. -> |
| The source of Trump’s remark is unclear, but it came after Fox News aired an interview with filmmaker Ami Horowitz, whose latest documentary examines whether high crime rates in areas of Sweden is linked to its previous open-door migration policy. | The source of Trump’s remark is unclear, but it came after Fox News aired an interview with filmmaker Ami Horowitz, whose latest documentary examines whether high crime rates in areas of Sweden is linked to its previous open-door migration policy. |
| According to the 2016 Swedish Crime Survey, crime rates in Sweden have stayed relatively stable over the last decade, with some fluctuations. In 2015, there were 112 cases of lethal violence in Sweden, an increase of 25 cases compared with 2014, but assaults, threats, sexual offences, car theft, burglary and harassment all reduced compared to the previous year – as did anxiety about crime in society. | According to the 2016 Swedish Crime Survey, crime rates in Sweden have stayed relatively stable over the last decade, with some fluctuations. In 2015, there were 112 cases of lethal violence in Sweden, an increase of 25 cases compared with 2014, but assaults, threats, sexual offences, car theft, burglary and harassment all reduced compared to the previous year – as did anxiety about crime in society. |
| Trump’s comments come after Kellyanne Conway, one of his senior advisers, was ridiculed for blaming two Iraqi refugees for a massacre that never happened. | Trump’s comments come after Kellyanne Conway, one of his senior advisers, was ridiculed for blaming two Iraqi refugees for a massacre that never happened. |
| At the start of February Conway cited the fictitious “Bowling Green massacre” in an interview backing the travel ban imposed on visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries. | At the start of February Conway cited the fictitious “Bowling Green massacre” in an interview backing the travel ban imposed on visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries. |
| Two Iraqi men living in Bowling Green, Kentucky, were arrested in 2011 over a failed attempt to send money and weapons to al-Qaida in Iraq. They are currently serving life sentences for federal terrorism offences, but there was no massacre, nor were they accused of planning one. | Two Iraqi men living in Bowling Green, Kentucky, were arrested in 2011 over a failed attempt to send money and weapons to al-Qaida in Iraq. They are currently serving life sentences for federal terrorism offences, but there was no massacre, nor were they accused of planning one. |
| On January 29 White House press secretary Sean Spicer referred three times to an attack in Atlanta - where a string of bombings were carried out in 1996 and 1997. | |
| Later, in an email to ABC News, he wrote that he “clearly meant Orlando.” | |
| Forty-nine people were killed and more injured at the massacre in June at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. It was carried out by Omar Mateen, a U.S. citizen, born in New York to Afghan parents. Afghanistan is not on Trump’s list of travel banned countries. | |
| Trump has repeatedly accused what he described as “the dishonest media” of producing “fake news”. He repeated the attack on Saturday stating: “When the media lies to people I will never ever let them get away with it,” he said. | |
| He added: “We are not going to let the fake news tell us what to do, how to live and what to believe,” he said. “We are free, independent people and we will make our own choices.” | |
| After Trump’s remarks in Florida the Swedish news outlet Aftonbladet posted a story about crime that really had occurred in Sweden on Friday. It included “due to harsh weather in northern parts of Sweden the road E10 was closed between Katterjakk and Riksgransen” and “a man died in hospital, after an accident in the workplace earlier that day”. | After Trump’s remarks in Florida the Swedish news outlet Aftonbladet posted a story about crime that really had occurred in Sweden on Friday. It included “due to harsh weather in northern parts of Sweden the road E10 was closed between Katterjakk and Riksgransen” and “a man died in hospital, after an accident in the workplace earlier that day”. |
| It added: “OK let’s not be fake news, this story took place in the autumn, but was reported Friday before lunchtime and we thought you would like it. A wooden moose got the attention of a lovesick moose bull.” | It added: “OK let’s not be fake news, this story took place in the autumn, but was reported Friday before lunchtime and we thought you would like it. A wooden moose got the attention of a lovesick moose bull.” |
| Swedish press responds to the alleged "terrorist attack" claim made by Trump. Here is what really happened in #Sweden: pic.twitter.com/qr5NEavfjG | Swedish press responds to the alleged "terrorist attack" claim made by Trump. Here is what really happened in #Sweden: pic.twitter.com/qr5NEavfjG |
| Former UK footballer Gary Lineker poked fun at Trump, tweeting: “Thought are with everyone in Sweden at this difficult time.” To which one of his followers replied: “Thanks mate. The horror of living here with such a comprehensive social security net gets to be too much at times. #pray4Sweden” | |
| Thoughts are with everyone in Sweden at this difficult time. | |
| @GaryLineker Thanks mate. The horror of living here with such a comprehensive social security net gets to be too much at times. #pray4Sweden | |
| Another Twitter user posted a picture of famous Swedish export Abba, writing: “Four extremists responsible for #swedenincident are still at large, if you see these people phone @realDonaldTrump at once.” | |
| Four extremists responsible for #swedenincident are still at large, if you see these people phone @realDonaldTrump at once pic.twitter.com/vXPhWOPak1 | Four extremists responsible for #swedenincident are still at large, if you see these people phone @realDonaldTrump at once pic.twitter.com/vXPhWOPak1 |