Police in Denmark and Sweden said on Wednesday (October 2, 2024) they were probing attacks at or near Israeli embassies in their capitals, which took place as tensions spiral in the West Asia.
Copenhagen police arrested three people in relation to the blasts early on Wednesday (October 2, 2024). “Two men were arrested on a train at Copenhagen Central Station. In addition, earlier in the day we arrested a man elsewhere in Copenhagen,” police said in a post to X.
In Denmark, twin blasts were reported overnight in the "immediate proximity" to the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen, Danish police spokesman Jakob Hansen told reporters Wednesday (October 2, 2024) morning.
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In Sweden, police confirmed that the Israeli embassy in Stockholm had been targeted in a shooting on Tuesday (October 1, 2024) just before 6 p.m. (1600 GMT).
No injuries were reported in either incident.
"It's too early to say if there is a link" between the blasts and the Israeli embassy, Mr. Hansen said of the Copenhagen incidents.
By mid-morning, the area in Copenhagen was cordoned off and police officers were working at the scene, an AFP correspondent observed.
Denmark's intelligence service, PET, said they were monitoring the situation "closely" and assisting police with their investigation.
"We are also in dialogue with the Israeli embassy about security, and are constantly assessing the scale of the security measures already implemented in relation to a number of Jewish locations," PET said in a statement to AFP.
Writing on X, Israel's ambassador to Denmark David Akov said he was "shocked by the appalling incident near the embassy a few hours ago."
Heavy surveillance
Swedish police said in a statement that information indicated the embassy building had been hit by shots.
"We've made finds that indicate a shooting at Israel's embassy, but we don't want to disclose exactly what finds have been made since there is an ongoing investigation," Rebecca Landberg, press officer at Stockholm police, told AFP.
Ms. Landberg added that an investigation had been opened into an aggravated weapons offence, endangerment of others and unlawful threats.
Police had made no arrests, but Ms. Landberg said that the area was under heavy surveillance by cameras and police were actively gathering and analysing material.
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, several incidents apparently targeting Israeli interests in Sweden have been reported.
In February, police found a grenade on the grounds of the Israeli embassy compound, which the ambassador said was an attempted attack.
In mid-May, gunshots were fired outside the Israeli embassy, which prompted the country to boost security measures around Israeli interests and Jewish community institutions.
The incidents in the Scandinavian countries came as tensions in the West Asia are spiralling, with Iran firing a barrage of missiles at Israeli territory and Israel vowing to make Iran "pay" for the attack.
Published - October 02, 2024 05:26 pm IST
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