Sweden's escalating gang violence: fifth explosion in a week rocks Prime Minister's hometown

The blast occurred in the hometown of Sweden's Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, leading to the evacuation of 20 residents. Bomb disposal experts were called to the scene to defuse remnants of the unexploded device.

Per reports from the Expressen newspaper, the explosion in Straengnaes is part of a series of violent incidents that have been taking place over the past week. The initial blast happened a week ago Monday in Sandviken, which is approximately 190 kilometres north of Stockholm. This was followed by incidents in Sundbyberg, near Stockholm, from Thursday to Friday night. Additionally, further incidents were noted in Gaevle, again to the north of Stockholm, and in Handen on the southern rim of the capital, from Sunday to Monday.

The primary suspect is thought to be a man operating under orders from Rawa Majid, the leader of the Foxtrot group, also known as the "Kurdish Fox".

"We must reverse this trend. Month by month, the criminal activity in Sweden is escalating. I refuse to succumb and we will reinstate safety," wrote Kristersson on Instagram on Tuesday.

In 2023, a record-breaking 149 bombings were documented in Sweden, the highest number since the inception of such statistics in 2018. Last year, over 10,000 kilograms of explosives were seized in the country.