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'What has he been smoking?' Sweden asks US to clarify Donald Trump's rally remarks

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Stockholm: Sweden has asked the US State Department to clarify remarks made by President Donald Trump implying that the Scandinavian country had been the target of a recent terrorist attack.

Swedish Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Catarina Axelsson said the Swedish embassy in Washington had sought clarification after Swedish commentators and media reacted with astonishment at weekend remarks by Trump.

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Trump cites non-existent Swedish terror attack

US President Donald Trump tries to link Sweden's generous refugee intake with a non-existent terror attack, prompting a social media backlash and the question, what has Trump been smoking?

In the speech to supporters in Florida on Saturday, Trump referred to several countries that have taken in a disproportionate number of refugees and that have recently been struck by attacks. 

"You look at what's happening in Germany, you look at what's happening last night in Sweden," Trump said.

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"Sweden. Who would believe this? Sweden," he added, without further elaboration. He did mention that the country had taken in large numbers of migrants. 

Trump went on to refer to Paris, Nice and Brussels, cities where attacks had occurred in the past two years.

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A spokeswoman for the Swedish Foreign Ministry told the Associated Press on Sunday that authorities were not aware of any "terror-linked major incidents" that had occurred in Sweden on Friday night. 

Former Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt, attending the Munich Security Conference, also questioned the President's remarks in a tweet.

"Sweden? Terror attack? What has he been smoking? Questions abound," Mr Bildt said.

A Swedish-language tweet on the Swedish Foreign Ministry's Twitter account on Sunday noted that "post-truth" was listed as the Oxford English Dictionary's international word of 2016.

The term describes emotional and personal beliefs that are more influential in shaping public opinion than facts. The term became common after the Brexit referendum in Britain and the divisive US presidential election.

Mr Trump's remarks were countered in social media earlier on Sunday. A theory suggested that the President had seen a Fox News story about problems related to immigration in Sweden that ran in the US on Friday.

Trump himself later attempted to clarify the remarks, tweeting: 

He was probably referring to a Tucker Carlson interview with Ami Horowitz. The filmmaker has blamed refugees for a purported crime wave in Sweden and alleged that authorities are trying to cover up the incidents.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, addressing the matter on Sunday, told reporters that Trump "was talking about rising crime and recent incidents in general and not referring to a specific incident".

Trump's new tweet came after speculation over the incident he referred to had circulated on social media for nearly a day.

Magnus Ranstorp, a researcher specialising in terrorism with the Swedish Defence University, tweeted "it was FAKE NEWS".

A school librarian, who uses the handle Emma and is the current curator of Sweden's Twitter account @sweden, wrote several tweets overnight documenting that nothing had happened. Some were in response to queries on social media.

She signed off early on Sunday that "all is fine here" and noted that the main news had been a Swedish qualification heat for the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest.

Answers were also presented under the hashtag #LastNightInSweden. One included a clip from The Muppet Show featuring the spoof Swedish chef, another said that a snowman had melted.

Stockholm tabloid Aftonbladet's list of events that took place on Friday night included a snowstorm that hit northern Sweden.

The White House has already faced criticism this month after it included an incident in the Swedish city of Malmo on its list of allegedly under-reported attacks. In October, arson caused smoke damage at an Iraqi community centre in the city.

However, months before the White House released the list that referred to the incident, a judge had decided that there was no evidence for treating the incident as a "terror attack".

Sweden took in more refugees per capita than any other country in Europe at the height of the influx in 2015. The country has long viewed itself as having a moral obligation to take in refugees from war-torn countries. But Sweden reached its limits as other EU neighbours refused to fulfil their commitments.

The influx of refugees has not come without problems in Sweden, but mainstream politicians and immigration experts say the criticism has been disproportionate. In the summer of 2016, Swedish embassies were tasked to counter rumours or false information on Sweden's experience with taking in large numbers of immigrants.

Speaking on Friday, one day before Trump's remarks, Henrik Selin of the Swedish Institute said there are "people whose political agenda suggests they would like to tell the story of countries not being able to receive that many refugees, who seem to want to exaggerate problems", Radio Sweden reported.

Although Sweden views itself as increasingly isolated in regard to its pro-immigration stance, the country found widespread cross-European support on social media on Sunday.

"Dear @realDonaldTrump," Alexander Stubb, the former prime minister of Finland tweeted. "Sweden is immigration friendly, international & liberal. One of the most prosperous, richest, safest places on earth."

And a country with relatively calm Friday nights, it seems.

McClatchy​, The Washington Post

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