Police 'knew in advance' about nightclub blast
Police had been warned that a bomb would be detonated in a busy nightclub in central Sweden on Sunday, yet chose not to act in the hope of catching the attacker red-handed, according to a police source.
“They gambled with people’s lives to catch the thief red-handed,” the source told the Aftonbladet newspaper.
The bomb, which exploded just after midnight on Saturday night, resulted in the evacuation of the Blue Moon Bar in Västerås, and left close to 700 party goers standing out on the streets without their jackets.
“We were on the dance floor and saw one of the security guards rushing to the DJ, and the music was quickly turned off,” one witness told The Local following the blast.
“None of us heard the explosion as the music was so loud inside.”
No one was injured in the blast which occurred on the outdoor terraced area, yet glass shattered and a nearby hotel was also evacuated.
According to the paper’s source, the bomb was supposed to explode after 2am when the bar was closed.
“For some reason they’ve chosen not to react. It’s as if they have taken a chance and hoped to catch the perpetrators in the act. It probably could have been avoided, it’s just lucky that it went the way it did.”
Åsa Hedin of the Västmanlands police has neither confirmed nor denied the allegations, and told the paper that the investigation is still underway,
“It’s difficult for us to comment in detail about what we currently know and don’t know right now,” she said.
TT/The Local/og
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“They gambled with people’s lives to catch the thief red-handed,” the source told the Aftonbladet newspaper.
The bomb, which exploded just after midnight on Saturday night, resulted in the evacuation of the Blue Moon Bar in Västerås, and left close to 700 party goers standing out on the streets without their jackets.
“We were on the dance floor and saw one of the security guards rushing to the DJ, and the music was quickly turned off,” one witness told The Local following the blast.
“None of us heard the explosion as the music was so loud inside.”
No one was injured in the blast which occurred on the outdoor terraced area, yet glass shattered and a nearby hotel was also evacuated.
According to the paper’s source, the bomb was supposed to explode after 2am when the bar was closed.
“For some reason they’ve chosen not to react. It’s as if they have taken a chance and hoped to catch the perpetrators in the act. It probably could have been avoided, it’s just lucky that it went the way it did.”
Åsa Hedin of the Västmanlands police has neither confirmed nor denied the allegations, and told the paper that the investigation is still underway,
“It’s difficult for us to comment in detail about what we currently know and don’t know right now,” she said.
TT/The Local/og
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