Swedish police in the city of Helsingborg have arrested six people following a raid on a local apartment building where explosive materials were found.
The individuals, who are said to be in their 20s and 30s, are suspected of making explosives and building bombs.
Local police chief Sven Holgersson commented on the raids, saying: “There were also explosives and accessories found for creating detonations.”
The raid came as part of the nationwide crackdown on organised gang violence known as Operation Rimfrost, Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reports.
“We have an offensive approach to curb and prevent the explosions that are happening nationally, regionally, and also here in Helsingborg,” Holgersson said.
Just several hours after the raid of the apartment, the city saw a large explosion at a social service building on Friday evening, causing damage to the entrance along with damage to windows and other parts of the structure.
“It was just before 1 am that it exploded. There is no suspect. We are serious about the targeting of authority. It is a crime against democracy,” Holgersson said following the incident.
“The bomb exploded in the entrance of the social services administration building, so we assume that it is aimed at them. We do not currently know if there have been any threats made to them,” he added.
The bombing is not the first in Helsingborg labelled as a crime against democracy. In October 2017, there was a bombing to the Helsingborg police station which caused heavy damage to the facade of the building. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven criticised the attack.
“The bombing of a police station in Helsingborg is extremely serious. An attack on the police is, in the long run, an attack on our democracy,” Löfven said.
Last year, Sweden saw a total of 257 explosions and bombings and just seven convictions in connection with them. The surge has led opposition party politicians, such as Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson, to criticise the government’s handling of the situation.
“The situation has thus escalated sharply and according to the police, there is no international equivalent,” Kristersson said.