Authorities in Denmark and Sweden announced on Wednesday that they were investigating explosions and gunfire near Israeli embassies in their respective capitals. The incidents occurred against the backdrop of escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Danish police reported that three Swedish citizens were detained following two explosions, likely caused by hand grenades, in close proximity to the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen early on Wednesday. In Stockholm, Swedish police stated that the Israeli embassy was the target of a shooting on Tuesday evening.
Although no injuries were reported from these events, they occurred at a time of heightened international concern, with Iran launching missiles at Israel and the latter vowing to retaliate.
At a press conference, Jens Jespersen of Copenhagen police confirmed that two explosions occurred at 3:20 am at the Israeli embassy and stated that their preliminary assessment pointed to the use of two hand grenades. Three individuals, aged between 15 and 20, were later arrested in connection with the incidents.
Denmark’s intelligence service, PET, stated that it was closely monitoring the situation and assisting the police in their investigation.
The Israeli ambassador to Denmark, David Akov, expressed shock at the incident near the embassy. The embassy is located in the upscale Hellerup neighbourhood in Copenhagen, which is home to numerous diplomatic missions.
The arrests in Denmark come after the country tightened its border controls with Sweden due to increasing gang violence. There have been suspicions of Danish gangs recruiting Swedish youths for criminal activities.
In a separate incident, it was reported that the Swedish gang Foxtrot was allegedly behind the attacks on the Israeli embassies in Copenhagen and Stockholm.
The Swedish intelligence agency Sapo previously accused Iran of recruiting Swedish gang members to carry out “acts of violence” against Israel, an allegation denied by Tehran.
Swedish police reported that evidence indicated the Israeli embassy building in Stockholm had been fired upon. An investigation was launched into various offences, including aggravated weapons-related charges, endangerment of others, and unlawful threats.