Police conducted a dive in the Norra Hammarby Hamnen area of Södermalm in south-central Stockholm on Thursday and confirmed that something, as yet unidentified, has been found.
“There is something there and the search dogs are trained to look only for human beings,” said Lars Bröns, the press spokesperson responsible for the case, to The Local.
Bröns confirmed that the Irishman’s family had been informed of police fears on Thursday afternoon after the dive had been completed. The family has not given up hope that fears will prove unfounded when police resources permit a second dive.
“We will conduct another dive on the Easter weekend, probably Sunday,” said Bröns.
32-year-old John Aherne came to Sweden to celebrate the St. Patrick’s weekend with his close friend Karl Lambert.
The two men went out with friends on Saturday night and had a few drinks together at a city centre pub.
When Aherne decided he was ready to go home, Lambert stayed behind and gave his friend a set of spare keys.
“He stopped off at a restaurant on the ground floor of the apartment building,” said Lambert, who has spoken to staff at the Orion restaurant on Katarina Bangata in the south of the city.
Aherne had a drink at the restaurant. Leaving his coat on a chair and his phone on the bar, he went outside. He has not been seen since.
“He told a guy in the bar he was just going out for a smoke and would be back in a minute,” said Lambert.
Anyone with information relevant to the case is advised to call the police at 114 14.
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