The men being held in police custody for planning a domestic terrorism attack in Iceland are reported to have targeted Efling chairperson Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir and Gunnar Smári Egilsson, chairperson of the Socialist Party.
This was first reported in Samstöðin, a media platform for leftwing political debate.
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According to Samstöðdin, individuals named by the suspects as potential targets were brought in by the district prosecutor to testify.
Sólveig was reportedly shown an exchange in which the suspects vowed to kill her, identifying her as a troublemaker who wanted to start a revolution.
Gunnar was also shown a conversation in which one of the suspects reported to have seen Gunnar in a restaurant. The suspect speculated about what would happen if he had killed Gunnar on the spot.
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Sólveig stated to Samstöðin the following: “[o]f course, it is frightening to learn that these men have been collecting weapons and planning to execute me for my political views and work. But I’ve just become so numb from the relentless attacks and accusations over the past few years that I took it like any other attack.”
In response to the planned attacks, Gunnar has highlighted the dangers of rightwing nationalism and hate speech.
Gunnar stated to Samstöðin that “[t]he Socialist Party is fighting for the development of social housing, to repeal tax cuts for the rich, for the general public to have power over their resources and other national issues that enjoy the support of a large majority of the public. The right responds to this by associating Socialists with Stalin’s crimes, violence, subversion and plots to deprive people of their freedom.”
Gunnar also called attention to the unfair ways in which Sólveig is portrayed in media, with terms such as “purges” regarding her recent reorganization of the Efling union office associating her with Soviet dictatorship.
