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Sweden investigates 'terrorist' act near Israeli embassy

Published February 2, 2024last updated February 2, 2024

Security forces are probing an explosive device found near the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm. Israel's ambassador said "we will not be intimidated by terror."

https://p.dw.com/p/4bxoM
Swedish police near the Israeli embassy after the discovery of an explosive device
Sweden strongly condemned what it said was an attempted attack on the Israeli Embassy in StockholmImage: Henrik Montgomery/TT/IMAGO

Sweden on Friday said it has launched a terrorism investigation into an object found at the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm earlier this week.

"The preliminary investigation launched by the Swedish Police Authority on January 31, following the discovery of a dangerous object at the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm, has been taken over by the Swedish Security Service," the Swedish Security Service, also known as SAPO, announced.

"In connection with this, the criminal classification has been changed to a terrorist crime," SAPO added. 

What do we know about the incident? 

The object was found at the embassy grounds on Wednesday.

Swedish authorities said it was a "dangerous object" but did not give an exact description of the item. They sent in a squad to dispose of the object and sealed off the area. 

Some Swedish media outlets reported that the object was a hand grenade. 

Swedish authorities respond to a "dangerous object" found near the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm
The National Bomb Squad dismantled the objectImage: Henrik Montgomery/TT/IMAGO

So far, no arrests have been made following the discovery of the object. Security at the Israeli Embassy has been ramped up after the incident. 

Israel: 'We will not be intimidated by terror'

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said "an attempted attack on the embassy is an attack both on those who work there and on Sweden."

Israeli Ambassador to Sweden Ziv Nelo Kulman expressed gratitude to Swedish authorities for their quick response.

"We will not be intimidated by terror," Kulman wrote on X, formerly Twitter. 

Authorities around the world have been on the lookout for antisemitic acts of violence amid the Israel-Hamas war. Israel's current military operation against Hamas in Gaza came after the Palestinian militant group carried out terror attacks on Israel on October 7.   

wd/rt (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)