The construction site of a new police station in the ‘no-go zone’ of Rinkeby, Stockholm, was attacked by “masked offenders” in a fiery siege, police say.
A car containing low-grade explosives was used to ram the gates of the station and then set on fire by its occupants, who also launched stones and fireworks at responding officers.
“At 01.31, police were ordered to an address in Rinkeby due to fire. When the police arrived, it was found that a number of masked offenders with a car forced a gate and entered the area where a new police station is being built,” reads the police report. “The perpetrators also threw stones and bangers against the guards who were on the spot. None of the guards were physically injured.”
“The vehicle used to force the gate was put on fire. In the vehicle there were bangers which complicated the work of rescue and police because of the risk of explosion.”
Police are now seeking eight perpetrators as suspects, and they believe the attack may have been carried out in retaliation for a large drug bust in the area.
Construction of the police station has been slow and fraught with security concerns, as Rinkeby is one of Sweden’s most notorious ‘no-go zones.’
A Swedish prosecutor recently compared Rinkeby to a “war zone,” telling Sveriges Radio, “When the police work there, they work as the armed forces would have done.”
(PHOTO: JOHAN NILSSON/AFP/Getty Images)
