Terrorist Threats in Scandinavia: A comparative study of the most significant terrorist threats in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway between 2001-2022

Abstract: The Scandinavian countries have neither been a focus area in terrorism nor intelligence studies, even though the Scandinavian intelligence agencies perceive the terrorist threats as rather present in their countries. This thesis aims to examine the similarities and differences within the assessment of the most significant terrorist threats in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway between 2001-2022 based on the threat assessment reports published by the Scandinavian intelligence agencies. This thesis applied qualitative content analysis in combination with securitization theory to deduce the similarities and differences. The theory was operationalized to focus on the securitization requesters and their threat images and contexts. The most significant securitized terrorist threats within the threat assessment reports were militant Islamism, including terrorist threats from AQ, IS, foreign fighters, and refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers, and political extremism, including right- and left-wing extremism. The Scandinavian intelligence agencies securitized the terrorist threat from militant Islamism and the related terrorist threats the most. However, in recent years, the securitization of right-wing extremism reached the heights of the militant Islamism in Sweden and Norway, while left-wing extremism has been desecuritized in Denmark and Sweden. Lastly, other terrorist threats have also been subjected to minor desecuritization attempts by the intelligence agencies.