Thousands of youth gathered on the parking lot outside the Asecs shopping center on Easter Eve, according to officials. A caravan started burning around 23:00 in the middle of the large crowd, though it remains unclear why the caravan caught fire. Despite the thousands of people present, no person was injured in connection with the fire, officials confirmed.
Asecs attracted very many people on Saturday evening, similar to the previous Friday, officials reported. The level of intoxication was high, and police on site had to detain a large number of people. Several cases of assault were reported during the gathering.
While no injuries resulted from the caravan fire, the event was marked by violence, with several cases of assault reported by officials. In a separate outbreak of violence, dozens of cars were set alight and stones were thrown at police as gangs of masked youths went on a rampage across Sweden on Monday evening, according to multiple reports. Dramatic footage showed youths targeting vehicles in a shopping centre and hospital car park at Frölunda Torg in the west of the country.
The largest group of youngsters apparently gathered in Trollhättan north of Gothenburg where as many as 40 people threw stones and started fires. Specific locations of car fires included Frölunda Torg, where footage showed cars burning bright orange in a large car park that includes a specialist hospital and a major shopping centre. There were also reports of young people setting cars on fire in Hjällbo, to the north east of Gothenburg, in Malmo, at the southern tip of the country, and in the city of Helsingborg, according to research sources.
Police were investigating whether the various blazes which broke out across the country were related. Emergency services were tackling the apparent outbreak of violence with no injuries reported, according to Swedish police. All the fires had been extinguished by midnight and police said the identification of young people was ongoing, although it was not clear if any arrests had been made.
Swedish national radio reported that around 40 firefighters were in action tackling the different blazes. Around 80 vehicles had been vandalised in total, Swedish television reported, with three caravans and a truck also targeted, and witnesses describing dark-haired youngsters launching the attacks. Other incidents in Sweden on Monday included several cars being set on fire on a street in Trollhättan, according to police.
Two cars were destroyed in a fire in Motala, rescue services reported. An A-tractor caught fire while driving between Haparanda and Karungi, with no injuries, according to rescue services. Additional Swedish incidents included a man who chased others in a parking lot at Bro centrum, was subdued with a stun gun, and a 45-year-old man was found stabbed, according to police.
An explosion occurred in Taxinge, Nykvarn municipality, causing minor damage to a house, police confirmed. In a separate case, police found a silkie chicken in a trash room in Gothenburg and are trying to find its owner. Internationally, a fire broke out at Kuwait International Airport after Iranian drone attacks, damaging radar systems and fuel tanks, according to KANA.
In Lebanon, nine healthcare workers were killed in five separate attacks on Saturday, with 51 killed in March, according to the World Health Organization. Other international events included Hezbollah attacking Israel on March 2, drawing Lebanon into the war, according to multiple reports. Israel has conducted large-scale attacks against Lebanon, especially in the south, multiple reports indicate.
Israel's air defense missile stocks are critically low after Iranian attacks, according to Semafor. Miscellaneous incidents included a car fire in Tromsø that spread to a carport, with no one injured, according to police. A car caught fire on a parking lot in Kuopio, with the driver escaping unharmed, rescue services reported.
A train fire near Newton Abbot halted services between Exeter and Paignton, according to major media reports. A person won 26 million kronor in the lottery by getting seven correct numbers, according to Svenska spel. Further incidents included three people being arrested and suspected after a car fire in Kongsvinger that spread to a nearby apartment, according to police.
A person was taken to hospital after an explosion at a retail park in Bradford, Yorkshire, the ambulance service reported. A Norwegian teenage girl was found dead in the water in Gran Canaria, according to Spanish police. Additional events included a car burning on a church parking lot in Tierp, and police suspect arson.
A Ferrari caught fire on the M1 motorway, with the driver and passenger shaken but OK, according to the fire service. A man died after being run over by a quad bike outside Skyttorp near Uppsala, police confirmed. In Trollhättan, a person got trapped in a machine at a gym, according to rescue services.
Near Glumslöv, Swedish Television reports that there is a risk that gas canisters could explode, and all traffic near the town has been halted by the Swedish Transport Administration, including the Pågatåg train line, road 1350, plus the busses between Landskrona and Helsingborg. The police write on their website that the stoppages could last until 2 am on Thursday. Experts from the Malmö police bomb disposal unit have been called in to try to reduce the risk of explosions near Glumslöv, according to research sources.
The violence across Sweden comes just three weeks before Swedish voters go to the polls in a general election, according to research sources.