Jihadists (illustration)
Jihadists (illustration)Thinkstock

Two Swedish men were charged in Sweden on Friday over "terrorist crimes" committed in Syria in 2013, the first in the Scandinavian country to be arrested over such offences, AFP reported.

The suspects, aged 30 and 32, were arrested Thursday and have both denied any wrongdoing when they were brought before a court Friday in western Sweden.

The charges relate to one or more killings in Syria in spring of 2013, noted AFP.

A third suspect was charged in absentia for "complicity in terrorist crimes".

One of two men was in a wheelchair, with some local media reporting that he had suffered a gunshot wound to the head in Syria.

"He has serious perception problems...He can't speak, he cannot walk," the suspect's lawyer Lars Salkola told AFP, adding that he could not confirm the source of the injury.

Salkola said that the accusations are based from photos, but he claims that his client's face is not visible in the snapshots.

According to Sweden's security services, around 300 Swedes have gone to Syria and Iraq to fight alongside jihadists.

The issue of radicalization has been a growing concern around the world, but especially in Europe.

Among the countries that have experienced this are France, Germany and Britain, where Prime Minister David Cameron this week announced a five-year plan to tackle home-grown Islamic extremism and help communities integrate in Britain.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)