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CRIME

Explosion rocks Stockholm apartment

An explosion at a building in Sundbyberg in the early hours of Tuesday morning left a hole "as big as a football" in the front door of one apartment.

Published: 15 January 2008 08:30 CET

A man and woman who were inside the first floor apartment at the time of the blast escaped unharmed. With the aid of emergency services they were able to climb down from their balcony to safety.

According to police inspector Daniel Hedman, an explosive device had been attached to the door of the apartment.

Police said the blast at the apartment block in Sundbyberg, a municipality in north Stockholm County, had left a football-sized hole. There have so far been no arrests.

The explosion caused extensive damage to the building, which was guarded by police on Tuesday morning.

A neighbour raised the alarm shortly before 3am. Six police units were called to the scene to question possible witnesses.

Over a thousand people join protest against Stockholm attack

The demonstration, which was organised by the Left Party and the Green Party together with Expo, an anti-extremist magazine, was held outside the Moment theatre, where masked assailants attacked a lecture organised by the two parties on Wednesday.

In the attack, the assailants – described as Nazis by Expo – let off smoke grenades and assaulted several people, three of whom were hospitalised.

“Let’s say it how it is: this was a terror attack and that is something we can never accept,” said Amanda Lind, who is expected to be voted in as the joint leader of the Green Party on Sunday.

She said that those who had attended the lecture had hoped to swap ideas about how to combat racism.

“Instead they had to experience smoke bombs, assault and were forced to think ‘have they got weapons’?. The goal of this attack was to use violence to generate fear and silence people,” she said.

EXPLAINED: What we know about the attack on a Swedish anti-fascist meeting

More than a thousand people gathered to protest the attack on a theatre in Gubbängen, Stockholm. Photo: Oscar Olsson/TT

Nooshi Dadgostar, leader of the Left Party, said that that society needed to stand up against this type of extreme-right violence.

“We’re here today to show that which should be obvious: we will not give up, we will stand up for ourselves, and we shall never be silenced by racist violence,” said said.

Sofia Zwahlen, one of the protesters at the demonstration, told the DN newspaper that it felt positive that so many had turned up to show their opposition to the attacks.

“It feels extremely good that there’s been this reaction, that we are coming together. I’m always a little worried about going to this sort of demonstration. But this feels safe.”

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