List of grenade attacks in Sweden
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Bombings increased significantly in 2015, with Swedish police investigating around 100–150
explosions.
[1][2][3] There were over 30 explosions reported in the Swedish city of
Malmö alone by August 2015,
[4] up from a total of 25 in all of 2014.
[5] Malmö police have consequently warned about undetonated grenades in the city.
[6][7] According to Swedish police, the use of hand grenades in crime is unprecedented in all comparable European and non-European countries, and the only countries with similar characteristics are those with
warlike conditions, such as Mexico with the ongoing
drug war. One study suggests Sweden had four to five times as many fatal shootings per capita as Norway and Germany from 2008 to 2014.
[8][2] Many such attacks are related to
organised crime and
extortion of
restaurants and
businesses.
[9] Far-right political activists spreading anti-immigrant sentiments have attributed the rise in grenade attacks and crime with the
migrant crisis, a claim that has been disputed.
[10][11] Paulina Neuding of
The Spectator wrote that Swedish officials have failed to effectively address the problem: "it’s still hard for Swedish authorities to be frank about what’s going on. It’s widely known that gang members are mainly first- and second-generation immigrants...and yet politicians, in government and opposition, seem particularly concerned that violence in immigrant suburbs is a PR problem, a threat to the image of Sweden
[12]
Detonated hand grenades in Sweden | |
| |
Source: Swedish Television. 2018 figures up to 5 December 2018.[13] | |
In Malmö, the grenades are frequently old weapons from
the wars in the
Balkans. The police assume that someone imported a large cache of grenades, which has then been distributed to criminal gangs.
[14] In addition to grenade attacks, there are a significant number of related bomb attacks with
improvised explosive devices, including homemade bombs.
[15][16] The number of incidents involving explosives tripled between 2008 and 2016.
[17]According to a December 2018 Swedish Television interview with researcher Amir Rostami, Sweden has a high number of hand grenade attacks compared to neighbouring countries
Denmark,
Norway and
Germany. While gun homicides were on the rise in the 2011–2018 time span, according to a study at Malmö University the number of hand grenade attacks had shown a strong increase in the same period and a total of 116 hand grenade detonations were recorded. Rostami said criminologists in Sweden don't know why there was a strong increase and why Sweden has a much higher rate than countries close by.
[13]
The hand grenades found by the police are exclusively the ex-Yugoslavian
M75 hand grenade.
[18]