Erstellt am: 23. 5. 2013 - 14:34 Uhr

An Attack on London Streets

Reality Check: London attack, Sweden riots, AI report on Hungary, Syrian refugees

The murder of a British solider in broad daylight by two men wielding kitchen knives has shocked and appalled Londoners. The two attackers are believed to be Islamic extremists, but it is unclear whether they are part of a group, or "lone wolves". The nature of the attack is unlike anything seen in recent history.

While David Cameron has dubbed it a "terrorist" attack, it seems to bear more resemblance to a gangland murder than anything that would normally be considered the behaviour of terrorists, of any motivation or persuasion. Since 9/11, "terrorist" has become more or less synonymous with "Islamic extremist" - and it's maybe on this ground that Cameron calls the murder a "terrorist" attack. It certainly does seem that the perpetrators were Islamic extremists, but unlike typical attacks by Islamic fundamentalist terrorists, this was not a suicide attack, and in fact the attackers stayed on the scene and spoke to passers-by after committing the murder.

The police took 20 minutes to reach the scene - you can be sure questions will be asked about that - and when they arrived, the attackers were shot and wounded, then arrested.

If this was a terrorist attack, it starts a whole new chapter in what we consider to be "terrorism".

EPA/FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA

Olly Barratt reports on what is known so far about the attack and the two men, who are believed to be Britons of Nigerian descent.

Terrorism expert Nafeez Ahmed talks to Riem Higazi about how people might react to the attack and the possible implications for the image of Muslims in the UK.

The scale of the riots in Sweden

Violence is spreading through the suburbs of Stockholm as riots continue for a third night.

EPA/FREDRIK SANDBERG

Over 100 cars have been burned in 3 nights of rioting around the Swedish capital.

Swedish National Radio's Lukas Christodoulou describes the areas where the riots are taking place and explains the importance of viewing these protests in the broader context.

He says that while the riots are disturbing, they are not on a scale that poses a significant threat to most Swedes.

Hungary singled out in Amnesty International report

Heinz Patzelt, head of Amnesty International in Austria, discusses the increasing human rights violations in Hungary, as highlighted in AI's annual report. He tells Joanna Bostock how the Hungarian government's abuse of power could dismantle the country's democracy.

The plight of Syrian refugees

Rising violence in the civil war in Syria has led to over a million Syrians seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. Rime Allaf describes the tense atmosphere in Turkey and other bordering countries and explains the problems they now face regarding health, education and security.

Find out more about Syrian refugees and the help they urgently need via the Nachbar in Not appeal.

FM4 Reality Check

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