Police in Iceland have arrested four men on suspicion of planning terror attacks on public buildings, including the country’s parliament, national broadcaster RUV reports.

Officers are exploring potential links to Nordic far-right groups and the police were the central target, local media has reported.

The four Icelandic men, all in their 20s, were arrested in the Kopavogur suburb of the capital Reykjavik, and in the south-western town of Mosfellsbær, in an operation involving special forces.

Two of the men were remanded in custody, while the other two were released after questioning.

Several semi-automatic weapons, including 3D-printed guns, were seized at nine locations during the operation, which involved 50 officers, The Guardian reports.

The operation was the first of its kind in Iceland.

RUV reports that the men intended to target multiple public buildings, including the Icelandic parliament.

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Karl Steinar Valsson, national commissioner of the Icelandic police, said in a news conference: “It is safe to say that our society is safer than it was.”

“We are just starting some work and are seizing a large amount of phones and computers and other such things. All that work is in the very early stages.

“We took certain measures while we were getting the situation under control. Of course, we don’t want to reveal what the exact response of the police is.

“At its peak, there were about 50 police personnel who took part in the police operation. With them, we think we’ve covered what we’re investigating and don’t think there’s any danger in travelling.”

He added: “As far as we know, this is the first time that an investigation of this type has been launched (in Iceland).

“The origin of the police operations yesterday … was in the context of an investigation into the preparation of a terrorist attack.”

Mr Valsson added that the investigation was continuing but further arrests could not be ruled out.

Iceland, a small country of 375,000 people, has topped the Global Peace Index since it was included in the ranking in 2008 and is considered one of the most peaceful places in the world.

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