“Sometimes you need to be lucky. It’s a bit like fishing – you’re after a pike but catch a shark”, said police spokesperson Mikko Airén to news agency TT.

The explosives were discovered shortly after midnight on Tuesday night, according to Airén. The police came across the car by chance whilst working on a different case.

The police were conducting vehicle searches in the Västertorp area, south of Stockholm, and when the police stopped the car the driver refused to co-operate.

The car wouldn’t stop, which was the start of a chase lasting from southern Stockholm to Kungsholmen in the centre.

“The vehicle drove away from the patrols and was dropped outside the Dagens Nyheter building. After searching the area, three men were arrested in possession of illegal weapons,” said Patrik Eriksson of the police to daily Dagens Nyheter (DN).

The three men are now arrested on the grounds of constituting a danger to the public.

Criminal inspector Jesper Rundberg at the south Stockholm police did not want to elaborate on the find of explosives in the car, but told TT he believes at least one or two of the arrested will be released at some point during Thursday

It is not known what the explosives were meant to be used for and the find has now been transported to a military complex in Kungsängen.

The three suspects are all born in the late 80’s and early 90’s and they are held at the police station in Västberga where they have been questioned by police.

Airén told TT that he didn’t know as of yet if they had admitted anything during the questioning.