Armed police seized Mutar Muthanna Majid (pictured), 25, at a refugee hostel in Boliden, north-east Sweden

An Islamic State terror suspect crossed the Arctic Circle by bicycle to sneak into Europe.

Armed police seized Mutar Muthanna Majid, 25, at a refugee hostel in Boliden, north-east Sweden, on Thursday night.

Iraqi-born Majid was among several dozen migrants who flew from Turkey, via Moscow, to the Russian arctic port of Murmansk, police said.

From there, they bought bicycles and cycled 80 miles to the Norwegian border, which allows them to cross without checks – making use of a loophole that allows cyclists to be waved across the border.

Some remained in Norway, while others including Majid, headed across Finland to Sweden, officials in Stockholm said.

Majid – said to be a member of IS – is believed to have been plotting terrorist acts in northern Europe, according to the Swedish intelligence service Sapo.

A Sapo statement said: ‘The arrest took place in a calm manner and an interrogation with the person is planned.

‘We are now in a very intense stage of the investigation and we are still very interested in his activities and people he met with since arriving in Sweden.’

Residents at the refugee hostel said Majid had been living there for several weeks, and had been spending his time at a local sauna or drinking at bars in the nearest city of Skelleftea.

One added: ‘He seemed to really enjoy the western lifestyle. There was nothing very Islamic about his behaviour.’

Iraqi-born Majid was among several dozen migrants who flew from Turkey, via Moscow, to the Russian arctic port of Murmansk, police said. Pictured, police at the refugee hostel in Boliden

Iraqi-born Majid was among several dozen migrants who flew from Turkey, via Moscow, to the Russian arctic port of Murmansk, police said. They then bought bicycles and travelled across the Norwegian border

Norwegian officials estimate that around 4,000 migrants have crossed the border from Russia since August, believing it is safer than trying to sneak into Europe by boat.

But the authorities fear that many could now die because they are unaware of the subzero temperatures and permanent darkness during the arctic winters.