Sweden has already witnessed as many explosions as there have been days in 2025. According to Swedish police, 30 explosions have been recorded, with an equal number prevented. Most incidents occurred in Stockholm, with additional cases in Helsingborg.
“We completely understand that people are worried, but we are making every effort to put an end to this,” said Stockholm police spokesperson Anna Westberg to Aftonbladet.
Extortion and gang conflicts
Police say the surge in explosions stems from gang conflicts and increased use of explosives for extortion, targeting business owners and private individuals over unpaid debts.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson condemned the violence as “domestic terrorism.”
“These criminal gangs show total disregard for the public,” he stated.
Previously, gang violence focused on turf wars. Now, authorities report a shift. “It’s the same kind of criminal environment, but now they are targeting business owners and private individuals in more strategic, financially motivated attacks” explained Hampus Nygårds, deputy inspector at the Swedish National Police Authority (Nationella Operativa Avdelningen, Noa), in Aftonbladet.
Young recruits carrying out attacks
The perpetrators are often young individuals recruited by gangs. “There is no connection between these youths and the addresses where the explosions occur,” said Stockholm police deputy inspector Max Åkevall to SVT.
“A very high percentage of them have escaped from various forms of social services placements,” Åkevall noted, adding that police have arrested “a significant number of perpetrators.”
Authorities report that gang members frequently use dynamite from the construction industry, pyrotechnics, and even hand grenades.
Government and police response
Swedish National Police Commissioner Petra Lundh assured the public that law enforcement is treating the situation with “the utmost seriousness.”
However, dismantling these operations will take time, as many masterminds reside abroad. “We need to go higher up in the hierarchy,” she stated. Authorities have introduced stop-and-search zones to curb violence.
Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer acknowledged the crisis and called for an emergency meeting with top police officials and government agencies. “Sweden is facing a situation that no decent society can accept,” he declared.
