BERLIN — Two Afghan nationals were apprehended on Tuesday by German authorities for allegedly plotting an assault on police near the Swedish parliament in retaliation for the desecration of copies of the Quran, the sacred text of Islam, federal prosecutors announced.

The detainees, identified solely as Ibrahim M.G. and Ramin N., were captured in the city of Gera in eastern Germany, as stated by the federal prosecutor’s office. The individuals were referred to using only their first names and initials in compliance with German privacy regulations.

According to prosecutors, the Islamic State’s branch in Afghanistan assigned the suspects the task of executing an attack in Europe in response to Quran burnings in Sweden and other nations around mid-2023.

The duo meticulously prepared for an assault on law enforcement and civilians in proximity to the parliament building in Stockholm, Sweden, “in tight collaboration” with IS operatives. This involved conducting online reconnaissance of the area and attempting, albeit unsuccessfully, to obtain weapons, the statement elaborated. However, the planned attack did not come to fruition.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser emphasized that these detentions underscore Germany’s unwavering vigilance and resolute actions against Islamist threats. The persistent danger posed by Islamist terrorism remains a grave concern, she added.

A series of public Quran desecrations by anti-Islam activists in Sweden has triggered widespread condemnation among Muslims globally and elicited threats from Islamic extremists. In October, a gunman fatally shot two Swedish football fans prior to a match in Brussels.

Amid mounting concerns, Swedish authorities raised the terror alert level to its second-highest tier in August, apprehensive of a scenario akin to the outrage witnessed by Denmark in 2006 following the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in a newspaper.

The Danish diplomatic missions were targeted, and the cartoonists faced death threats from radical Islamists. Efforts by Danish officials to justify the caricatures as protected under freedom of speech were largely dismissed in the Muslim world.

Prosecutors revealed that Ibrahim M. G. pledged allegiance to the IS affiliate in August 2023. Alongside Ramin N., he purportedly raised 2,000 euros ($2,170) in donations for the Islamic State group to aid a member incarcerated in northern Syria.

The Afghan nationals are suspected of various offenses, including providing assistance to a terrorist organization, conspiracy to commit a crime, and violations of trade laws.