A 60-year-old man died in Stockholm after he picked up an object that turned out to be a grenade. It exploded in his hands, and he died.
The unfortunate event took place outside an underground station in the Swedish capital of Stockholm at 11 a.m. approximately. Another person, a 45-year old woman who was with the man, was also injured due to the explosion. The causes of the event are still not known.
“The man was seriously injured after he picked up something from the ground and this device exploded,” said regional police spokesman Sven-Erik Olsson.
Was it organized by terrorists?
The object responsible for the man’s death was probably a hand grenade, according to police investigator Lars Bröms. Experts are still examining the debris of the blast. Sven-Erik Olsson said that they are not sure about what it was and that assuring that it was a hand grenade is just speculating. It all took place outside the Varby Gard subway station located in Huddinge, a residential district in the south of greater Stockholm.
The man was there and picked up the object not recognizing what it was. It exploded in his hand leaving him injured severely. He was taken to the hospital, but he died soon after. He was with a woman who suffered facial injuries.
Authorities don’t think that the grenade was meant to hurt the couple. They still don’t know the causes of this deplorable act, or if it is somehow linked to terrorist groups.
Police officials are currently checking and reviewing the security cameras aiming to know more about the causes of this act and to find out who put the grenade there. They scouted the area to make sure there weren’t more explosives.
The name of the couple hasn’t been revealed.
An increasing threat
A few months ago, several bombs detonated across Sweden. They damaged at least two apartment buildings in Malmo. Another explosive went off in a bar in Angelholm, injuring one person back in October. Police said that “criminal circles” were to blame. Bomb threats and fear are growing.
“Explosives are often used by organized crime rings in Sweden, especially in the south where settling of scores and intimidation are frequent among drug traffickers. Police and judges are also regularly targeted,” reports the Local, a Swedish newspaper.
Sadly, Lars Alvarsjo, chief of Stockholm’s southern police district said they had noticed a rise in the use of hand grenades in the country by criminal groups especially in the biggest Swedish cities such as Stockholm, Goteborg, and Malmo. He said that these weapons are being illegally imported mainly from former Yugoslav nations.
Source: The Washington Post