Three suspects were arrested by Copenhagen police only hours after two explosions close to the Israeli embassy on Wednesday morning. All three are reportedly Swedish citizens, in yet another example of gang violence spilling over from Sweden to neighboring countries. A shooting at the Israeli embassy in Stockholm on Wednesday evening has so far not resulted in any arrests.
According to police, a 19-year-old man was arrested near the Danish crime scene shortly after the incident but has since been released. A 16-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man, both Swedish citizens, were arrested on a train at Copenhagen Central Station. They appeared in constitutional hearings on Wednesday morning in the Judicial Guard at Copenhagen City Court, and are facing charges of possession of hand grenades and for detonating them.
Two hand grenades were detonated on the roof terrace of a building about 100 meters from the Israeli embassy. According to the indictment, the crime occurred “in association and in prior agreement with one or more co-perpetrators.”
Sources told Swedish state broadcaster SVT that the attacks were carried out on behalf of the ‘Foxtrot’ criminal network led by Rawa Majid—dubbed “the Kurdish Fox.” The Foxtrot gang has previously been accused by Israeli intelligence of orchestrating attacks against Israel’s embassy in Stockholm, carried out on orders by the Islamist dictatorship in Iran.
Special prosecutor Søren Harbo told the media the motive for the attack would not be discussed in Thursday’s hearings but said, “The investigation is of course very much focused on whether this is a terrorist attack or not.”
PET, the Danish security service, said it is “extremely serious if a foreign embassy is targeted in an attack,” adding that they are collaborating closely with agencies abroad “regarding both this case and similar cases that may involve the same type of perpetrators and methods.”
The proceedings continued behind closed doors after initial charges were read, with the explanation that prosecutors did not want to publicly reveal what the investigation has already uncovered.
“It is a serious matter, and we are still investigating it. It is still too early for us to comment further on a possible motive in the case, but it is of course part of our work to clarify whether the target was the Israeli embassy,” said deputy police inspector Brian Belling from Copenhagen Police.
Criminal migrant gangs from Sweden expanding their territory has become an increasing problem, forcing neighboring states like Denmark, Norway, (and even Iceland) to take special measures and even contemplate reinstating hard borders with Sweden.
“We have already seen young individuals from Sweden coming to Denmark to carry out criminal activities in gang environments, which they are allegedly being hired to perform, PET told Danmarks Radio. “At the same time, Swedish authorities have assessed that at least one specific act targeting the Israeli embassy in Stockholm, carried out by young criminals in Sweden, has links to Iran.”
The Danish security services said they are keeping a close eye on the possibility of this also happening in Denmark:
This is, of course, a development that PET is monitoring, as having a state actor recruiting young criminals to carry out actions against Jewish targets in our neighboring country raises concerns that similar events could occur in Denmark
Earlier this week, MEP Charlie Weimers, the leader of the Sweden Democrats’ (ECR) European Parliamentary delegation, called for an EU framework to combat cross-border organized crime by allowing member states to impose travel bans on convicted offenders.
