Swedish radio channel 'hijacked by Islamic State propaganda song'

Listeners expecting the 'Anders & Gry with Friends' show instead heard an IS recruitment song on loop

Listeners to one of Sweden's most popular radio stations heard an Islamic State group recruitment song on the station's frequency for about 30 minutes on Friday morning, reports say.

Mix Megapol's owners believe the station's frequency was hijacked to play the song, For the Sake of Allah.

The problem affected listeners in the southern city of Malmo.

The hosts of Mix Megapol's morning show were unaware of the problem while broadcasting from Stockholm.

The pop-style song with lyrics such as "We will march to the gate of paradise, where our maidens await" has been used in IS propaganda videos to try to lure fighters from the West to Iraq and Syria.

Jakob Gravestam, marketing director of Bauer media who own Mix Megapol, said they believed someone interfered with their frequency using a pirate transmitter.

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"A lot of people have called us about this. We are very happy that people are vigilant and we treat this very seriously," he told local news website 24 Malmo (in Swedish).

The station confirmed it had reported the incident to police and the national Telecom Agency.