Article:
Scores of diners have followed the police’s new appeal to stop the arson attacks. A source with insight tells Aftonbladet that the situation has gotten out of hand. – They have been very aggressive with the law.
Keep your eyes open, and call us if you see anything suspicious. The police in the gang operation Frigg have taken that message to gas stations in the Stockholm area. The background is a number of arsons that are suspected of being connected to the ongoing wave of violence.
And the staff at the sandwiches have followed the call. According to an informant, there have been many calls. – In the last week, there have been about ten occasions where large efforts have been launched when people refueled in bottles or cans. In some cases, it may have been criminals, but it has also been about ordinary people who filled the lawnmower with gas. It has almost become a bit ridiculous.
Preliminary investigations regarding preparation for arson must on several occasions have been initiated only after someone filled a small container with fuel. – A lawyer would have big problems with that, says the source.
“Has thwarted an attack”
Tommy Gustafsson is deputy commander for Operation Frigg. He does not share the view that the police are too often firing on all cylinders.
– If someone contacts us, we always make an assessment to determine whether it is interesting to proceed or not.
– There are several cases where we have seen that we were absolutely right about it and where we managed to repel arson attacks.
Has it also happened that investigations were started unnecessarily?
– That could probably have been the case. But rather that we work too much on some cases that turn out to be nothing than that we miss serious crimes.
“The threshold can be lower”
According to the commanding officer Hanna Paradis, arson attacks are a fairly new element in the wave of violence. Several factors can be behind the phenomenon.
– In part, it may be that the availability of firearms and explosives has deteriorated. It could also be that the threshold for setting fire to buildings is lower than for other types of attacks, she has previously told Aftonbladet.
FACT
Many fires are linked to the wave of violence
October 9: There was a fire in an apartment in Hässelby and a house in Huddinge. The fires are suspected to be arson.
October 10: Within the space of just over two hours, seven suspiciously started fires occurred in the Stockholm area. Some of the alarms came just a few minutes apart. The fires are said to have started by throwing bottles of flammable liquid at buildings.
12 October: A fire broke out at the facade of a residential building in Huddinge. Several buildings on the street in question had to be evacuated.
October 15: A giant premises of 5,000 square meters in Tumba was completely destroyed in a violent fire. A person who is linked to a company at the address appears on a so-called “death list”.