Sweden saw just seven convictions for bombings in 2019, despite there being over 250 known cases of explosions in the same year.
New figures released from the Swedish Crime Prevention Council (Bra) have shown that in 2019, the country saw a total of 257 reports of explosions and bombings, up from prior estimates and an increase of 59 per cent from 2018, broadcaster SVT reports.
A further review by the broadcaster has shown that the number of people convicted for these attacks has been poor, with only seven convictions of public endangerment due to the use of explosives.
Marie Borgh, who is the head of the national bomb protection, has claimed that the main reason for the lack of convictions in explosive cases is due to the difficulty of prosecuting individuals.
“The technical evidence is difficult when it is blown up. Most of it is blown away in connection with the detonation. Often, someone may order this job based on a conflict that exists. A bomb builder will build the bomb and someone else will then carry it out,” Borgh said.
She went on to add that police did not think the bombings were intentionally being carried out to kill people but added, “Some of the charges have been so powerful that there was a risk of it. This is obviously ignored, though it may not be the basic purpose.”
Swedish gangs, who are largely seen as being behind the bombings, have previously used hand grenades against rival gangs in order to spread fear according to Police officer Gunnar Appelgren who noted in 2018 that hand grenades were easy to find and inexpensive.
“Some groups initially estimated that hand grenades are good for scaring or attacking another group. Then you are in a spiral, where hand grenades become part of the weapons used in these gang conflicts,” he said.
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