The alarm about the incident came at 22:00 on Friday, according to multiple reports. Police press spokesperson Mats Pettersson described it as something that blew up at a property. The area has been cordoned off and police will be knocking on doors.
The incident is classified as general endangerment and a crime against the law on fire hazardous and explosive goods. No suspect has been arrested. Pettersson does not know if there have been any major material damages, but images show at least one balcony has been damaged.
Earlier on Friday afternoon, police had cordoned off an area in Åby, near Norrköping, for reasons that were initially unclear. Police spokesperson Olle Älveroth stated there was no ongoing police operation and no danger to the public, and that police were conducting an investigation. It is unclear whether the afternoon cordon and the evening explosion are related or separate events.
I am not a person who throws hand grenades at people. No, definitely not.
In March, a powerful explosion woke residents on Mässvägen in Åby; a hand grenade was thrown at a balcony causing major damage but no injuries. A man in his 30s is charged with aggravated public endangerment and aggravated violation of the law on flammable and explosive goods for transporting and detonating the grenade. The crime is considered aggravated because it involved a weapon of particularly dangerous type and occurred in a residential area.
The grenade was picked up in the Stockholm area on the same day as the attack. The man was already detained for another grenade attack in Västerås, for which he has been sentenced to nine years in prison. A woman in her 40s is charged with failing to disclose aggravated public endangerment because she knew about the plans but did not contact police.
The prosecutor cites extensive technical evidence including crime scene investigation, dog tracking, phone analysis, and taxi service data showing the suspect's movements between Västmanland, Stockholm, and Norrköping on the same evening. According to the investigation, the suspect arrived in Åby shortly before the explosion and left shortly after. The explosion caused material damage but no personal injuries.
The investigation indicates the bombing was a paid assignment; the man received instructions and money but only knew what to do, not why. Police suspect the attack was linked to a conflict between criminal groups using explosives and firearms; the intended target was a person connected to the conflict who did not live in the apartment that was hit.