Swedish police close case involving Paludan’s aide attacking journalist: Photojournalist

By Mehmet Solmaz

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AA) - Police in Sweden decided to not proceed with a criminal case involving physical assault of a journalist by an aide to Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan, photojournalist Orhan Karan said Saturday.

“A crime in which you were the plaintiff has been closed,” said a statement by police. “The perquisites for proving a crime do not exist.”

Karan told Anadolu that Valentin Mointes, an aide to Paludan, whom he saw in previous demonstrations, suddenly approached him in an aggressive manner and started verbal abuses before threatening to attack him prior to a Quran burning on Jan. 21.

“Then he turned his abuse into a physical attack. Police at the scene had detained him as they have witnessed the incident. Police informed me, saying they have removed him from the area,” said Karan, adding that Paludan arrived shortly after but refused to get out of his vehicle unless his colleague was released.

Detainees are taken in a police vehicle and questioned at a police station, under normal conditions.

“The police had bowed down to Paludan’s demand and brought the person back to the scene of demonstration; meaning, allowing a person, who got involved in a criminal offense and an act of violence,” said Karan, who added that Mointes was tasked by Paludan to live stream the burning of the Quran.

Karan said he was initially told by police that an officer will reach out to him to ask questions about the case before proceeding with a prosecutor. He said no one has contacted him and he received an email from police late Friday that said the case is closed.

In addition to filing a legal complaint against the officers, who are accused of enabling Paludan to stage his act, Karan said he will appeal against the closure of the case by police.

Karan said the day of the incident, police apologized to him after releasing Mointes and said the far-right leader, who was given legal protection for his demonstration, was not going to come out of his vehicle.

Stunned by the police reaction, Karan said any other detained individual would be taken to a police station under normal circumstances.

The incident caused uproar in the Muslim world. In response to Sweden allowing Paludan to burn a copy of the Quran, which Türkiye condemned as a “provocative act” of a “hate crime,” Ankara canceled Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson's upcoming visit to Türkiye.

Due to fears of a possible Russian invasion in the future, the Swedes are bidding to be part of NATO's transatlantic military alliance.

However, their candidacy is currently on hold by Türkiye, which demands the Nordic country start acting against activities of the terror groups, including the PKK and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).