Police in Sweden arrested two people in connection with a shooting incident near the Israeli embassy in Stockholm in mid-May, according to what the Swedish Public Prosecutor announced yesterday, Wednesday.
The incident prompted the authorities to strengthen security measures around Israeli interests and Jewish institutions in Sweden.
“Two people have been arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting a serious weapons-related crime,” Public Prosecutor Rasmus Ohmann told Agence France-Presse.
He added that he could not comment on the gender or age of the suspects, as they will be subjected to interrogation before a decision is taken regarding their pretrial detention.
Another person had been arrested earlier on suspicion of being the shooter, but was later released.
The prosecutor indicated his belief that a 14-year-old boy had opened fire, but since he was under the age of criminal responsibility he was not formally suspected of any crime.
Since Israel launched a devastating war on the Gaza Strip – in October last year – several incidents have been reported that appear to target Israeli interests in Sweden.
Last week, the Swedish police announced that an object suspected of being an explosive device had been found outside the headquarters of the Israeli company Elbit Systems, which specializes in military technology, in the city of Gothenburg, suggesting that the company was targeted.
The Swedish intelligence agency “Sapo” said in late May that Iran was recruiting members of what it described as Swedish criminal gangs to commit “acts of violence” against Israeli interests and other interests in Sweden, which Tehran denied.
Last February, police found a hand grenade in the vicinity of the Israeli embassy compound, and the ambassador considered it an attempted attack.
Several Swedish cities witnessed demonstrations and events supporting the Palestinians and denouncing the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, demanding an immediate end to this aggression.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza that has left about 122,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing.
Israel continues its war on Gaza, despite two UN Security Council resolutions to stop the fighting immediately, and orders from the International Court of Justice to end the Rafah invasion and take measures to prevent acts of genocide and improve the dire humanitarian situation in the Strip.
