Criminal gangs continue to spread terror in Sweden. So far in February there have been daily explosions linked to organized crime.
As people have their homes blown up and are forced to flee in the middle of the night, neither the police nor the government can give clear answers on how to put a stop to the violence.
On February 1, a hand grenade was discovered in an apartment building in the violence-prone district of Gränby in Uppsala, 70 kilometers north of Stockholm. As the grenade was discovered before it was detonated, the police bomb squad was able to destroy it in a controlled explosion.
The police were able to confirm that the grenade was live, and the public within a one-kilometer radius was ordered to stay indoors.
– There was a very loud bang and I got scared, one resident told the Schibsted-owned tabloid Aftonbladet.
The incident is not being investigated as an attempted murder, but as an attempt at general destruction and a violation of the law on flammable and explosive goods.
Sjätte sprängningen på en vecka. Grattis sjuklövern, ni har verkligen lyckats förstöra landet. Sen kan ni skylla på varandra, men ni är alla lika medskyldiga. pic.twitter.com/ALdYNeN4eA
— Jan Lindberg (@jingezon) February 6, 2024
Sundbyberg
On the night of February 2, it happened again - this time in Sundbyberg, ten kilometers northwest of Stockholm. Several apartments were damaged in a massive explosion, windows were shattered and the door to the apartment was blown away.
– I saw how the paintings were hanging askew and became interested in what the rest of the place looked like. Then I went to the living room and saw that the balcony window was gone, says 87-year-old Gudrun, who was woken up by the explosion.
Several residents describe feeling unsafe in their neighborhood and fearing more explosions in the future.
– You get desperate and angry. It's so unnecessary, says a woman who lives in the area.
Vällingby
About 24 hours later, another explosion occurred - this time in an industrial area in Vällingby, about 8 kilometers west of Sundbyberg. Shortly before midnight, an explosion targeted a hairdressing salon, where the door and windows were badly damaged. No one was reportedly injured in the attack.
– It was really unpleasant. I was sitting on the couch and everything was vibrating. It was a very loud bang, a woman in Vällingby told the Schibsted-owned tabloid Aftonbladet.
Explosion vid en frisörsalong i västra Stockholm under fredagskvällen. Ibland tror man vi har ett inbördeskrig i Sverige. Måste till en skärpning av Sveriges inre säkerhet. Helt oacceptabelt att man har sprängningar överallt i Sverige.
Polis o Säpo hur är det med proaktivteten?— Leijf (@leijf) February 3, 2024
"Sometimes people think we have a civil war in Sweden", writes 'Leijf' on Twitter/X.
Here, too, tenants express concern that they do not know when it will "go off" next, and that this is something that affects their entire daily lives.
– I was out walking when I heard the explosion. I felt the shock wave, says another resident of the area.
Gävle
Late on February 4, an explosive device detonated in a stairwell in Andersberg, Gävle (approximately 170 kilometers north of Stockholm), again in an apartment building. The interior of the building was damaged and the apartment door was destroyed.
The attack is said to be related to a gang conflict between two criminal gangs, the Foxtrot Network and the Dalen Network, and to the drug market in the area.
After the explosion, residents were not allowed to leave their homes for the entire day before police were able to lift the lockdown.
– We have several leads and are actively working to find the perpetrator, police spokesman Mattias Rutegård told local newspaper Gefle Dagblad.
Handen
About 24 hours later, another attack took place - this time in Handen, 22 kilometers south of Stockholm, also at night.
An explosion also occurred at an apartment building where a known gang member is registered - again, no one was reportedly injured, but a number of windows were shattered and the property was damaged.
Man läser om sprängningar varje dag. Man tror att de talar om gårdagens sprängning, men då har det varit en ny. Journalister kunde göra en mall, en färdig artikel, och bara sätta in den för dagen aktuella tiden och platsen för dagens sprängning. #massinvandring #svpol #terror
— Urban II ن (@Ekbacken57) February 6, 2024
"You read about explosions every day. You'd think they're talking about yesterday's blast, but it's a new one. Journalists could make a template, a ready-made article, and just insert the current time and location of today's blast", writes 'Urban II' on Twitter/X.
The criminal living at the address was recently arrested on suspicion of instigating a murder in Jordbro, Haninge, and another attempted murder in Åkersberga.
– I woke up frightened by the bang. I woke my partner and checked on the sleeping children. I crawled around the apartment to check that the front door was locked and that the windows were undamaged, a neighbor told the taxpayer-funded SVT.
Strängnäs
In the early hours of Tuesday, February 6, the terror continued - this time in Finninge, Strängnäs.
Shortly after four o'clock in the morning, the police were alerted to an explosion in a residential area. The bomb squad was called in, a large area was cordoned off and about 20 people were forced to evacuate their homes.
The building was not seriously damaged, but the frightened residents needed crisis support and had to go to a school building that had been opened specifically to care for the temporarily homeless.
"I am thinking of all the residents of Strängnäs in Dammen and Finninge who had to leave their homes at 4 a.m. last night, some of them by climbing out of windows. I know that many people are now helping you and I hope that you will soon be able to return home", Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson wrote on social media.
The Kurdish Fox
All of the bombings are believed to be linked to organized crime, with at least four of them targeting the Kurdish Fox and the notorious Foxtrot network.
According to taxpayer-funded state media SVT, in several cases the bombings have targeted the homes of people already in custody - meaning that it is not the gang members themselves who are at risk of being killed, but their neighbors and relatives.
In several cases, bombings have also targeted family members of known criminals, although there is no evidence that the gang member himself is present.
It remains to be seen whether explosions will continue on a daily basis for the rest of February, but police officers say they are working hard to stem the tide of violence.
