The Swedish government has decided to prolong temporary border checks on its internal borders for another six months due to the continuing threat to the country's security, the Swedish Justice Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

Axar.az reports quoting Sputnik.

The internal border controls were supposed to be eliminated on May 11.

"The Government has decided to prolong internal border controls for an additional six months, up to and including 11 November 2018. The decision was taken in accordance with EU legislation and the Government's assessment that there is still a threat to public order and domestic security," the statement said.

The ministry explained that the threat came mostly from faults in the European Union's external border controls, which were unable to prevent terrorists and criminals from entering the Schengen Area.

The decision to introduce internal border controls was taken by Swedish authorities in the wake of Europe's mass migration crisis, which started in 2015. These measures were previously extended in November.