A 20-year-old man in Sweden has been arrested and charged with attempted murder after throwing a suspected hand grenade at police vehicles.
The device was tossed at a pair of police vehicles 50 yards from the police station in Uppsala at around 11:03 pm on Monday. While no officers or bystanders were injured in the blast, police have said they believe the incident to be an attack on the force, Expressen reports.
According to a police press release, several cars were damaged in the blast and they say there was a “lot of evidence” that the explosive device was a hand grenade.
Publication 24Uppsala interviewed a local police officer, who requested to remain anonymous. “There is panic throughout the organisation right now. We already have had several murders and shootings here,” the officer said.
Regional police chief Carin Götblad held a press conference Tuesday saying: “We had police staff who were on their way home. Both by car and bicycle. It was a pure coincidence that no one was injured. A lot indicates the attack was intended for the police bus.”
Crime in the area has greatly increased, especially in relation to violent crime and drug offences. Lisa Sannervik, the press officer for the Uppsala police, said that authorities are working to identify other potential suspects in the attack saying it is not clear if the 20-year-old in custody acted alone.
The incident follows the bombing of a police station in Helsingborg in October that prompted Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven to declare it an attack on democracy. The large explosion also led some to speculate that the bombing may have been related to terrorism.
Attacks on police have become increasingly common in the various “no-go zone” suburbs of major Swedish cities. Grenade attacks have also increased to the point where Sweden is said to rival Mexico in grenade attack incidents.