According to officials and media reports, a Turkish staff member of the honorary consulate of Sweden in the western Turkish city of Izmir was shot and seriously injured outside the consulate building.
According to the British news agency Reuters, the governor’s office of Izmir has said in a statement that a Turkish citizen registered in the eastern province of Agra has been arrested.
He added that the police are investigating the incident.
Sweden’s foreign ministry could not immediately comment on the report.
According to private broadcaster NTV, the attack took place outside Sweden’s honorary consulate. He added that the injured woman, who was working as a secretary at the diplomatic mission, was in critical condition.
The governor’s office said Turkish authorities detained the attacker with a gun and launched an investigation into the incident.
Honorary consulates represent the interests of their citizens abroad but are not run by professional diplomats.
Sweden’s government said on Tuesday it plans to ‘step up’ border controls due to the deteriorating security situation in the wake of several protests against the desecration of the Koran.
Tensions have flared between Sweden and Muslim countries following several demonstrations of public desecration of the Holy Quran.
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Prime Minister Alf Kristerson said at a press conference: ‘People with very weak ties to Sweden should not come to Sweden to commit crimes.’
He added that a formal decision to increase border control is expected on Thursday.
On Monday, two Iraqis – Salwan Momika and Salwan Najm – set fire to the Muslim holy book in a protest outside Sweden’s parliament.
The two had previously staged similar protests outside Stockholm’s central mosque and the Iraqi embassy in the Swedish capital, prompting widespread outrage and condemnation.
The protests led to Iraqi protesters storming the Swedish embassy in Baghdad twice, setting fires inside the compound on another occasion.
Last week, Sweden ordered 15 government agencies, including the armed forces, several law enforcement agencies and the tax office, to strengthen counter-terrorism efforts.