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suggest it was carried out by an Iraqi Muslim extremist, Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly, who was based in the British town of Luton.

It is the first time a suicide bomber has struck the country, and the first terror attack there of any kind since the 1970s - although there have been attacks on leading figures since then, such as the 1986 assassination of the prime minister or the 2003 stabbing of foreign minister Anna Lindh.

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt on Sunday said the attack was "unacceptable" but urged Swedes not to jump to "premature conclusions" that "create tension which paints pictures that are then difficult to change."

"Sweden is an open society... which has stated a wish that people should be able to have different backgrounds, believe in different in gods, and live side by side."

But is that possible?

Reports are now suggesting that one of the motivations for the attack was a Swedish cartoon that depicted Islam's prophet Muhammad as a dog.

And of the Swedish Defence Research Agency has said Sweden has the same problems to contend with around radicalisation as anywhere else:

"The whole idea is that this is a global war for them and that the target exists everywhere, all over the world."

Does what happened in Sweden show that even countries famed for tolerance cannot expect to be safe? Why has Sweden been attacked now? What's your reaction to what has happened?