Sweden bomber 'may not have acted alone'

The suicide bomber who blew himself up in the Swedish capital Stockholm may have been helped by others in preparing the botched attack, officials said today.

Investigators initially said that Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly, 28, who lived with his family in Luton, appeared to have acted alone during Saturday's bombing, in which two people were injured.

Anders Thornberg of the SAPO security service said today that remains a possibility but officials are "investigating whether there could have been someone else involved in the preparations".

He said investigators were aware of claims made by Iraqi officials that captured insurgents had revealed the suicide bombing was part of attacks being planned by al-Qaida against the US and Europe during the Christmas season.

One Swedish newspaper reported a second man accompanied him when he bought the white Audi he filled with gas canisters and set alight.

Experts were also studying an audio recording in which he attacked Sweden's support of the war in Afghanistan.

There has been speculation among counter-terrorism experts that a cough on the recording may have been made by a second person.