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MALMÖ

Malmö attacks part of ‘spiral of retaliation’

Sweden’s third largest city was shaken by a suspected grenade attack overnight as police confirmed that the recent wave of violence in the city is linked to a row over a recent court verdict.

Malmö attacks part of ‘spiral of retaliation’
A Swedish police car. File photo: Mikel Fritzon/TT

Just two days after a blast outside a community centre destroyed two cars and injured one man in the south of the city, several cars and homes were damaged in another suspected grenade attack in Limham in western Malmö.

Emergency services were called to the scene at around 3am after receiving calls from several worried locals living in nearby apartments.

No one is understood to have been hurt in the incident, but according to the TT news agency, many witnesses appeared shocked by the violence.

Later on Thursday morning Malmö police chief Stefan Sintéus said he believed that the attack was connected to the blast on Tuesday when a hand grenade was thrown in a car park outside a community hall in industrial area (Norra Grängesbergsgatan) close to the Rosengård suburb which has a reputation for violence and gang related crimes.

He added that the latest unrest was linked to a case which saw three young men sentenced for their roles in a bombing in Rosengård on Christmas eve.

“This is about a few people who are having a dispute with one another and are in a spiral of retaliation,” he told the TT news agency.

“They are ruthless and this is extremely serious,” he added.

READ ALSO: Man locked up over Christmas Eve bombing

Malmö has experienced a summer of violence with numerous shootings and explosions taking place in recent weeks.

Police have previously linked some of the unrest to an increased import of illegal weapons and recently called for tougher border controls on the Öresund bridge between Sweden and Denmark in a bid to tackle the problem.

Last month they also revealed that they were stepping up their presence in known trouble-hit areas such as Rosengård and Seved, where they announced around 30 people believed to be from criminal backgrounds were being tracked by officers.