Suicide bombing was just 500 meters from Indian Embassy in Stockholm

STOCKHOLM - Saturday’s suicide bomb blast took place just 500 meters from the Indian embassy.

According to law enforcement authorities, a man carrying six interconnected pipe bombs and nails in his backpack carried out a suicide attack at Bryggargatan (Brewery Street), which is in Central Stockholm.

They confirmed that there was another explosion in a white Audi estate filled with gas canisatars on the crossing of Olof Palmes Gata and Drottingatan (Queen Street) just 150 meters from the Indian Embassy.

Luckily being Saturday, the embassy was closed.

A letter describing the reasons for the attack was sent by the man to a Swedish news agency and SAPO, the Swedish Security Police that is now treating it as a terrorist attack and is handling the case.

The letter reveals the suicide bomber’s contempt for Sweden in general and blamed Swedes for not making active protests against Sweden’s presence in Afghanistan and the well known Swedish painter Lars Vilks who has made a controversial painting of Prophet Muhammad.

The bomber also expressed contempt for the Swedish Muslims, who according to him should stop ’sucking up to and humiliating themselves’.

He also implored all the mujahedeen in Europe to follow his steps and wait no longer. He is said to have shouted something in Arabic before detonating the bomb.

Luckily due to the bomb failing to detonate completely the intensity of the explosion was low, otherwise the scale of fatalities and injuries could have been a lot higher, especially since Bryggargatan is just off Drottingatan.

The street is a pedestrian zone where the official Christmas lights for the city of Stockholm are displayed and is one of the busiest streets in Central Stockholm, especially now, with Christmas shoppers.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt termed it a “terrorist attack” which could have been “catastrophic”.

The President of the Swedish Islamic community, Imam Abd al Haqq Kielan, said such acts were totally against Islam and its values.

So far no group has claimed responsibility, and it seems to be a lone man’s desire to carry out this attack although some Swedish terror experts believe that he was not alone in planning this attack. By M.Uniyal (ANI)