School in Sweden locked down after suspected hand grenades discovered, reports say
A school in Sweden was temporarily locked down on Wednesday after two suspected hand grenades were found nearby.
“All students, parents and teachers have been informed and no one is allowed to leave the school,” Susanne Karlsson, the school’s administrator, told Swedish state broadcaster SVT. “Staff are walking around the school talking to students who have any questions. We’re following our routine.”
About 800 students attend the school, which SVT said was in the Hässleholmen area of the city of Borås, about 40 miles east of Gothenburg.
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Police were called to the scene at around 7:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday, when the first suspected grenade was found. Soon after, a second suspected grenade was discovered, local media reported.
The area was cordoned off and a national bomb disposal team was called, police spokesperson Fredrik Svedemyr told SVT. Later, local media reported that the team had handled the objects, and Svedemyr said that there was “no need for the lockdown to remain in place,” though some police cordons would remain.
Explosives have been a growing problem in Sweden in recent years, with police reporting that while criminal shootings have decreased in the country, explosions have increased. The most common explosives used in criminal incidents are fireworks and hand grenades.
Fireworks are used as explosives in homemade bombs, police said, while hand grenades are smuggled into the country, with most bombings intended to intimidate rather than harm people.
The majority of bombings have been carried out by criminal networks, though “the investigation can be complicated, as several levels and people may be involved, from the person who ordered the explosive to the perpetrator on the street,” police said.
In a notice to the public published earlier this month, law enforcement said that, “in several cases, the explosions are suspected to be motivated by extortion against businesses or people linked to businesses and their families. The Police urge business owners affected by extortion to contact the police directly and not to pay out any money.”