Explosions rocked apartment buildings in two Swedish cities within minutes of each other this week as the problem of bombings continues across the country.
The two explosions were both reported to police at around or just before 5 am on Thursday in the cities of Uppsala and Landskrona, 400 miles apart.
In Uppsala, the explosion occurred in the Gränby district and caused damage to the facade of the building and smashed several windows. Witnesses described the blast as shaking houses nearby and setting off car alarms in the vicinity as well, broadcaster SVT reports.
Police officer Daniel Wikdahl commented on the incident, saying: “There were a lot of people who heard the blast. It’s in the middle of a residential area.” He added: “Now we will examine the site to see what has exploded and to make sure that there is nothing dangerous left.”
The explosion in Landskrona was reported to police at 4:54 am, according to a police press release.
Similar to the Uppsala incident, the explosion damaged the facade of the apartment building. No one was injured in either incident.
Last year, Sweden saw at least 236 bombings and explosions, with many believed to be linked to organised criminal groups. The level of explosions far surpassed the previous year’s 162 incidents.
Stefan Hector of the Swedish police authority National Operations Department (NOA) commented on the rise in incidents last year, saying: “Before, we were seeing hand grenades being used. Now, we see homemade charges, instead, like weapons used in conflict.”
“These are used either to hurt or intimidate, but now there is a new recklessness as the bombings occur in places where members of the public are put at risk. The bombers are indifferent to the fact that people could be hurt,” he added.
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