14 Dec 2010

Swedish authorities '98% certain' of bomber's identity

6:30 am on 14 December 2010

The Swedish authorities say they believe they've identified the man who set off two bombs in Stockholm at the weekend.

Sweden's chief prosecutor Tomas Lindstrand says investigators are almost certain the man who blew himself up on Saturday in the Swedish capital was Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly.

When asked if the man who died was the person revealed on Islamist website Shumukh al-Islam, the prosecutor said "yes".

"We have identified the man who blew himself up, to 98%," Mr Lindstrand said.

Taimur Addulwahab Al-Abdaly was born in Iraq, grew up in Sweden and studied at university in England, the BBC reports.

He is known to have owned the car that exploded in a shopping district, and was carrying explosives on a belt and in a rucksack.

An audio recording, apparently made by the same man, says he could not sit and watch while Moslems in Europe were oppressed.

Mr Lindstrand said investigators were trying to work out the bomber's eventual target, and told AFP it was assumed he was working with several people.