[8] The first explosion occurred at 16:48 CET, when an Audi 80 Avant automobile exploded at the intersection of Olof Palmes gata and Drottninggatan.

"[1] The bombings followed a November increase in the terror-alert level in Sweden (from low to elevated) because of a "shift in activities among Swedish-based groups".

As long as you don't end your war against Islam and degradation against the prophet and your foolish support for the pig [Lars] Vilks."

[17] The prosecutor believed that the bomb exploded prematurely; he speculated that the suspect was on his way to Stockholm Central Station or Åhléns, a large department store in the area.

News media reported that a woman "close to" the suspect was detained in a 4:00 raid of a Hässelby flat by the National Task Force,[18] and a search warrant was issued under the UK Terrorism Act 2000 for a property in Bedfordshire the following day.

[26] The newspaper Expressen later reported that several sources close to the investigation claimed a second government employee had advance information about the bombing.

[30] Suspicions that al-Abdaly had an accomplice increased in January 2011, when the media reported that uncensored recordings of the terrorist's audio message were posted on YouTube the day after he died.

[33][6] According to information from his Facebook profile and the muslima.com dating site (where he was looking for a second wife), he was a 28-year-old Iraqi Swede born in Baghdad who grew up in Tranås and was naturalized as a Swedish citizen in 1992.

[34] After completing secondary school in Sweden in 2001, al-Abdaly studied at the University of Bedfordshire and graduated with a degree in sports therapy in 2004.

During Ramadan in 2007, after al-Abdaly tried to recruit other Muslims who shared his political views when he preached at the Luton mosque he stormed out when confronted about his beliefs[40] and was forbidden to return.

[43] Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt held a press conference on 12 December 2010, where he said: "Saturday's events in central Stockholm leads many people to ask whether Sweden has become less safe.

"[44] Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt posted a message on Twitter on 11 December 2010: "Most worrying attempt at terrorist attack in crowded part of central Stockholm.

"[1] Swedish Security Service spokesman Mikael Gunnarsson said the agency did not increase the terror-threat level after the bombings: "And apart from the e-mail we didn't have any other indications or threats that this would happen.

"[1] Hassan Moussa, imam of the Stockholm Mosque, condemned "all forms of attacks, violence, fears and threats against innocent people, whatever the motive or pretext" in a statement provided to Swedish news agency TT.

[50] Alexandra Brunell, secretary for Sweden Democrats party leader Jimmie Åkesson reacted to the event by tweeting "Äntligen" ("Finally") while another SD politician, member of parliament William Petzäll posted "I hate to say it, but didn´t we say so?